Time Weave
by Creative Touch
Summary: Lily and James Potter never died in the terrible accident on Halloween. Harry and co. are returning to Hogwarts to finish their educations but what will happen when Harry finds out everyone has been lying to him for the past 17 years? DH COMPAITABLE! R
1. The Ones Who Lived

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, I wouldn't have ever killed Fred, Sirius, Tonks or Lupin or made Dumbledore gay.

**Summery: **Lily and James Potter never died in that tragic accident on Halloween. Voldemort has finally been defeated, and Harry and the others are returning to Hogwarts to finish their education. What happens when Harry discovers the truth and that everyone has been lying to him for the past 17 years? DH Compatible – oh believe me, it will be. Read and find out how! R&R!

**A/N: **_Hope you enjoy this. This is sort of my prologue-ish chapter. XP_

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Chapter 1  
**The Ones Who Lived**

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1st November 1981

A young couple sat in at a table in the corner of the Leaky Cauldron. They were easily forgotten due to the large amounts of wizards and witches that were celebrating and they were pale and miserable-looking. The two were reading the _Daily Prophet_, scanning the front cover which blared a picture of a house in ruins.

_**YOU-KNOW-WHO DEFEATED!**_

_**By Regina Knight**_

_In the late hours of last night, You-Know-Who, the dark wizard that started the war was finally defeated by none other than an infant. It was in Godric's Hollow where the miraculous activity occurred. Lily and James Potter were the unfortunate residents of the house and lost their lives while trying to escape. It was their son that vanquished the Dark Lord._

_Harry Potter, age 1, survived the attack with nothing more than a scar, which has been said to be in the shape of a lightning bolt. The scar will be with the boy for the rest of his life due to the fact that it is a cursed scar. There is still no clear idea on how the young child was able to survive the Killing Curse but no doubt, whatever it was has rid this world of the dark wizard. _

_The child has been removed from the scene of the crime and has reported to be taken to live in the muggle world. It is believed that Harry will grow up with his aunt and uncle from his mother's side of the family. But when he returns his name will be down in the history books as Harry Potter: The Boy-Who-Lived!_

_Continues pages 3, 4 and 6_

The woman looked as if she was ready to cry as everyone in the room raised their glasses to "The Boy Who Lived". The man continued to read the newspaper, burying his despair within its pages. He came across a small article, hidden away in the corner where no one but people like him would pay attention to.

_**Disappearances reach 19**_

_Two more people have gone missing, no doubt kidnapped by You-Know-Who and his followers. __The people in question are James Richardson, 45 and his fiancé, Lily Balters, 43, were last seen on Friday, and neighbours report that their home has been empty ever since. It is believed that the couple went into hiding knowing that You-Know-Who would come after them because Miss Balters is a muggle. No insight on the whereabouts of the two. This most recent disappearance brings the total to 19 missing wizards and witches. _

The man folded up the newspaper and gave his wife's arm a comforting squeeze.

'We could – would have died, James' she murmured.

'Shh. Not so loud, love. We don't want to be caught.' He put his finger to his lips but at the same time began rubbing her back as she let the tears fall freely from her eyes.

'He's going to live with P-Petunia. He'll never be happy there. I want my son, why can't we just say we're alive? You-Know-Who is dead… I mean: look around.' James looked around the small pub and watched people laugh, cheer and smile at the great news.

'I don't think he's gone. I think he's still out there, just too tired to carry on. There was no body when we came, think logically. There's no way a wizard that powerful could have been defeated by our son.' She pondered on the thought for a while. She entwined one of her brown locks with her finger, she admired the colour: she was used to her original auburn hair but they were still wearing glamour charms and their appearances were unrecognisable.

_- Flashback -_

_Lily laughed as James held her hand as they walked home. It had felt like forever since they had quality time like this, and this feeling was rare to find during the war. She hated going into hiding__, and the fact that they had to wear glamour charms when they went out tonight. James pulled her in for a long and passionate kiss. She ran her other hand through his dirty blonde hair and deepened the kiss. He broke the kiss seconds later, he never did that._

'_Lily… Lily!' James yelled, letting go of her hand and raced up the footpath. She stared at the Dark Mark that lay just above the ruins that once was her home. She ran to keep up with her husband__: her son was still inside._

_Once she reached the ruins, she saw that they were black and burnt. The whole house was a wreck, everything was blown to pieces. She saw a body lying on the floor. She took a step closer to the figure and saw a man with untidy black hair, his glasses askew and his face wore an expression that was a cross of surprise and anger. She would have believed that this was her husband if he wasn't standing next to her, his hand squeezing her shoulder gently. She shrugged him off and heard the most melodic sound: her child's cries. _

_She ran for and up the stairs, feeling a wave of relief and happiness wash over her as the cries grew louder. Just as she reached the top floor, her husband grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him. He put his finger to his lips and pointed to a large figure that was standing in the rubble of the nursery. _

'_It's going to be aright' Harry. I got you,' said a gruff voice. Harry's cries started to soften as the large figure bent down and picked him up from the rubble. The figure walked down the stairs, not noticing the couple hidden in the shadows. Lily listened to each booming footstep as Harry was taken away from her. She wanted to run after him, scream that she was alive but James held a firm grip on her. _

_She listened as she heard Sirius voice travel up the stairs as he talked to Hagrid outside. James finally let go of her once the sound of a motorbike faded off in the distance. It was then she broke down in tears. _

_- End Flashback-_

'So we just… leave him?' she asked quietly.

'We have to, love. We can't let anyone know we're alive; not Dumbledore, not Sirius… not even…especially not Harry, I'm afraid.' Tears began to build up in his eyes. 'We're gonna have to start a new life. New names, new home, new friends, new lifestyles: the lot.'

'On one condition,' Lily said, sobering up. 'If I can't have my son now… if we can't contact him: we must let him lead his life. We must never let him know the truth. If...' she lowered her voice more, 'You-Know-Who really is still out there, then he's going to go after him. And we can't go to his aid.'

'But Lils-'

'No, James,' she said sharply. 'He's better off not knowing us if it comes to that. He will have so many questions and none of them will be positive, I guarantee that. He will hate us if he knew the truth. So tell me which one is it? Do we never talk to our son again? Or do we rescue him from my deranged sister?' She knew she had him. She wanted her son so badly, what monster would keep a mother from her child? And family was so important to James, how could he refuse?

James thought about it. Each one was a dead end, it was a difficult choice. Give up his son like that? She had made it sound as if he wanted that, but we wouldn't love anything more than for them to live happily. But if he took his son, they could be a family but he was certain You-Know-Who was still alive, and they would have to relive the past 6 months all over again. He couldn't do that again…

'Fine,' he sighed. 'He stays with Petunia. It's going to be hard but it has to be this way. But I suppose if we told to the Marauders…'

'NO! If I can't have my son then you can't have your friends. You said it yourself: no one can know. And plus, if you told them then the truth might slip out. Like it did with Peter,' she spat out the name with disgust. James clenched his fist. _Wormtail, _he thought, _if I ever see him again. I'll kill him. _

Lily was trying to push him into saying that they could get Harry. That's all she wanted, Harry was her world.

'Fine: No friends. I'm going to get some more drinks,' he said and left her feeling completely dumbfounded at the table. Each step he took was his way of saying that he was walking away from this life. And how heavy each step was, and the fact that he swayed with his footsteps was a sign that he didn't really want this: but he's son needed a risk free world. When You-Know-Who comes back, he knew that deep down he would go straight for the family whom he didn't kill. His son was better off.

Lily sat at the table; she buried her face in her hands and wept. She lost her son, and there was now nothing she could do about it. She had never felt so much pain. _Why? _She questioned. _Why did we have to be the ones who lived?_

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**A/N: **_You like? Review please!! Maybe looking for a BETA on this story. _


	2. Familiar Strangers

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Chapter 2  
**"Familiar" Strangers**

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1st September 1998

The autumn wind was non-existent on Platform 9 and ¾. Families crowded around the Hogwarts Express, saying their goodbyes to children between the ages of 11 and 18. The train would leave in 10 minutes and children were starting to aboard the train. A woman with long, light brown hair was hugging her daughter.

'You be good, Jamie. Don't do anything I wouldn't do,' she said as she held her daughter in her arms.

'Mum! You wouldn't do anything, where's the fun in that? But I'll be good… for now,' she said that last part in a soft whisper.

'When are you going to finally go for a spot on the Quidditch team? Gryffindor could really use a seeker with your reflexes,' a man with sandy blonde locks said, putting a hand on his wife's shoulder.

'Dad, you know Gryffindor has a seeker. Harry Potter is still the seeker, unless he doesn't come back this year,' she said hopefully. 'If he isn't then I will tryout. I promise.'

'Tryout even if he is here. Unless he's the captain… then tryout for chaser, you're pretty good at that.'

'It's seeker or nothing, Dad.'

'You better get going. And I don't want another letter from Hogwarts saying that you've been using inappropriate magic on your classmates again. Try and stay out of trouble.'

'Trouble finds me, Mum. And I can't be held responsible for my actions-'

'You can and you will, Jamie Lillian.' The girl groaned at the use of her middle name. She flicked her long black hair and walked in the direction of the train. She waved her right hand as she climbed aboard.

Not to far away from the married couple, was a group of people which was mostly redheads.

'Hey, look who it is,' the man nudged his wife. He pointed at the family who were exchanging goodbyes. Her heart stopped as she recognised a boy with untidy black hair; hug a woman with fiery red hair.

O – o – O

Harry, Ron and Hermione were on Platform 9 and ¾, all packed and ready to go back to Hogwarts. They had decided to go back and finish their education after all, well… it was more Hermione's idea and Harry and Ron just simply agreed. Harry was actually looking forward to a drama-free year, for once. And this time, he would be sharing classes with Ginny, for they were all going to be their 7th year.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were just saying their goodbyes.

'You be good, Harry,' Mrs. Weasley said as she let go of Ginny.

'I always am, Mrs. Weasley. Everyone else makes me look bad,' Harry chuckled, at the same time winking at Ginny. Mrs. Weasley pulled him into a hug and embraced him like as if he was her own son. Harry returned the hug but his face wasn't as full of the same emotion that was expressed on Mrs. Weasley's face.

Through all the crowds on the platform, a couple stood out more than anyone else. He noticed a man with sandy blonde hair stare at him, a wide grin spread across his face as he nudge the woman next to him, no doubt his wife. She turned and also spotted him but then whacked the man on the arm. Harry didn't quite know why the two caught his eye, but he had the strangest feeling that he knew them somewhere. Harry shook his head as he let go of Mrs. Weasley: they were just strangers.

O – o – O

Lily hit James hard on the arm once she saw Harry.

'OW! What was that for?' James yelped.

'Do we have to do this _every _year? We've seen him here for the past 6 years; do you have to point him out every time? We're not supposed to talk to him, _Jason_,' she said, giving a dark glare.

'I wasn't talking to him, _Lucy_. I was just simply looking at my _son_, and admiring what a handsome bloke he turned out to be. Does he remind you of anyone?' he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

'Shut up,' she snapped. 'We promised that Harry would never know the truth. We can't contact him, he can't know the truth: he'll hate us.'

'But You-Know-Who is finally dead. There were at least 100 witnesses! We can come out now, can't we?'

'NO! You saw him, he's happy not knowing the truth. The truth would devastate him, and Jamie. We've been lying to them, to the wizarding world, their WHOLE lives. It's bad enough that we don't use the glamour charm on Jamie.' James and Lily had changed their names and identity to protect the truth. After a year and a half, Lily gave birth to their daughter. Jamie Lillian Parker was named after their old names, as a reminder of what their lives once was. They had a major argument about changing Jamie's appearance with the glamour charm but Lily lost so Jamie grew up with long black hair and hazel eyes. They just told her it was a skipped generation gene.

'Mum, dad, who are you looking at?' came a voice from the train. Jamie was with her a girl with silvery blonde hair, staring at her parents.

'No one, Jamie,' her father responded. Jamie raised one thin eyebrow at him and then stuck her head further out the window to see who it was.

'Was it Harry Potter, per chance? He's such an arrogant toerag; I wouldn't be surprised if all that fame has gone to his head now.'

'Jamie! How can you say that? He's sooo hot!' Jamie's friend said, sticking her own head out the window to get a better look. Jamie rolled her eyes.

'You just say that because he's the "Chosen One". You're attracted to fame and popularity, Katherine. Plus, he's already got a girlfriend.'

'Harry's got a _girlfriend!_?'The words fell out of "Lucy's" mouth before she got a chance to stop them. Jamie gave her a quizzical look but it was Katherine who answered her.

'Yeah: that Ginny Weasley. That short redhead who he's getting on the train with, now. I don't know what he sees in her: she's been with too many guys to be decent for him.' James looked over his shoulder and saw Harry kiss a young redhead's cheek as he helped her onto the train. James couldn't help but smile at his son, _a winner with the ladies, just like his old man._

The train whistle blew the sound echoing against the walls. The train began to move slowly, picking up speed as it went along. Lily began jogging aside the train, as she did every year, waving goodbye to her daughter. James followed her, his eyes first on Jamie but as the train sped along, he began to chase after his son.

O – o – O

Harry stuck his head out the window and waved goodbye to Mrs. Weasley, who was running besides the Hogwarts Express. It was as the train began to move faster that he saw someone else running with the train. The same man with sandy blonde locks was staring at him again, chasing the train as if he wanted to continue gaping at Harry. Harry couldn't help but feel that he knew this man, somehow. Harry shook the idea out his head again: what could be so familiar about a stranger?

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**A/N: **_Tell me what you think so far. I like reviews, I hate flames. Make your pick._


	3. That's what makes her: Jamie

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Chapter 3  
**That's what makes her: Jamie**

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Harry had forgotten about the couple on the platform as the school year started and as two weeks went by, he was far behind in work. Apparently, saving the wizarding world doesn't excuse you from homework. Harry was in the common room, doing homework; no doubt with Ron, with Hermione reading their work as they went along. The sunshine lit up the room and mocked the two boys as they started on their Charms paper.

Ginny had retired to the library with Luna after she complained about the noise that a couple of forth graders were making.

Harry put down his quill and massaged the writing cramp that was in his wrist. A year without writing made it a lot harder for him. He had noted how his writing had changed on every paper, getting slightly messier as he went along. He frowned at the progress he had made in his homework – it would take him another whole weekend to finish all the work. But really, the work could have been a lot worse if Voldemort was still on the loose. A drama-free year is just what he wanted, but if he wanted a homework-free year (which was pushing it); he shouldn't have gone back to school.

At that moment, a group of six year girls came stumbling through the portrait hole in giggling fits. One of them was a girl with long raven black hair, whom Harry recognised from the platform. For once, since term started, Harry remembered the odd couple on the platform and he recognised the girl as the same one the woman was embracing. He didn't quite feel the same way as he did with the couple. _For Merlin's sake!_, Harry thought. _They were just strangers – nothing more. They were looking at you: as if you're not used to that!_

'Harry, focus on your work!' Hermione said her voice far-away. Harry snapped back to reality, realising how stupid he must have looked gaping at the sixth graders.

'Hermione… you know everyone in school, right?' Harry asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.

'I'd like to think so,' she said rather smugly.

'Wow – that confident, huh? Stalking people just to learn everything about them: I underestimate you sometimes, Miss Granger,' Harry smirked.

'Was it one of those sixth graders, Mr. Potter? Sleeping with Ginny not good enough so you're thinking of doing a threesome?' Hermione said coolly. Ron looked up with such surprise that his arm slipped and he streaked a line across his parchment.

'What?! You've been sleeping with Ginny? My _baby_ sister?'

'No, Ron. Hermione's just kidding, aren't you 'Mione?'

'Am I?' she asked innocently.

'Is she?' Ron said.

'Nah she's right. But don't worry, Ron: we use the contraceptive charm… at least, I _think _she does.' Harry and Hermione couldn't contain their laughter when they saw Ron's absolutely priceless expression. Ron gave them a hard glare.

'That's not funny. My sister's virginity is not be joked about.'

'Who said she was a virgin?' Hermione said, sobering up her laughter to make it seem as plausible as possible. Harry continued laughing as Ron's jaw dropped past its limit.

'That's really not funny,' said Ron sternly

'No but you're expressions are,' Hermione said, trying to stifle her giggles. 'OK, moving past Ginny – why do you ask, Harry?'

'Just curious about who that girl is over there,' Harry nodded his head towards the sixth year girls, 'the one with black hair.' Hermione lifted her head slightly before answering.

'Oh, that's Jamie Parker. Sixth year obviously, good at gob stones, excellent in Charms, Potions and Transfiguration… not so good at Defence against the Dark Arts though. Pity, cause a girl with talent like hers should, logically, be good at Defence against the Dark Arts. Must be a family thing, though. You should know her, Harry.'

'Should I?' Harry said bemused.

'She was at the try-outs for Quidditch when you were captain. I think she was trying for chaser.'

'Well, half the school was at those try-outs, Hermione. You seriously can't expect me to remember who was at the try-outs… people from other houses were trying out, for Merlin's sake!'

'Hey - I remembered,' she said defensively.

'Yeah, but we're not sufferable little know-it-alls like you 'Mione,' Ron interjected, trying to get back at her for her "not-so-funny joke".

'Isn't that a complete turn-on to you, though?' Hermione said, moving closer to him suggestively. Ron gulped right before Hermione's lips came crashing down onto his.

'Ugh, get a room,' Harry chuckled as their kiss deepened.

'Like you're one to talk, Harry. Plus – we _are _in a room,' Hermione said briefly before continuing her make-out with Ron. Harry chuckled and moved back onto his homework feeling somewhat uneasy.

O – o – O

Jamie had just come back from playing a very amusing prank on a couple of boys in Slytherin. Even though there were some decent guys in there, didn't stop the fact that all Gryffindors hated them. She hadn't got caught (this time) and so she felt no worry about getting an angry howler being sent by her mother.

She and her friends sat in the common room, still laughing at the sight of the boys when they had their mouths filled with soapy bubbles (after saying something cruel to a group of first years), their hair turned into bright pink, purple and electric blue mohawks and bogies chasing after them. Jamie had always been good at charms… and transfiguration, potions and gobstones.

Jamie was a natural prankster – and she was smart too. She never had problems when it came to spells and potions, and she never really needed anyone to help her when it came to making fools of others. She was not as good as the legendary Weasley twins, but she was good nonetheless.

'Hey,' Katherine nudged her. 'Look over there.' Jamie looked at where her best friend was pointing and saw none other than the Boy Who Lived.

'What am I supposed to be looking at exactly?' she asked sweetly.

'Ah-DUH! The dreamiest boy in school: Harry Potter,' Katherine said the name softly so that only she and Jamie could hear. Jamie groaned in disgust: she did not hate nor despise the guy, she just didn't like him. She was one of the rare people who did. Her parents were sometimes talking non-stop about him, and this somewhat contributed to her dislike towards him. It sometimes seemed to her that he was more important to them than their only child.

'Maybe I should go over there: he might need some company… his friends look "busy"' Katherine said. Jamie saw two-thirds of the Golden Trio making out on the couch next to Harry but Harry didn't seem to care what his friends were doing.

'He looks busy too… with homework,' Jamie pointed out obviously. Katherine frowned at her friend.

'Well… seeing as his friends are busy… and little miss thing isn't here… he might need a tutor.'

'You? Tutor him? You've seriously lost your mind. Like he's going to get help with his homework with someone two years younger than him. Especially when his best friend is the brightest witch in the school!'

'A girl can dream, can't she?'

'More like you're having a nightmare.'

'Why do you hate him so? He saved the freaking world!'

'Maybe the whole saving-people-hero thing doesn't work for me, ever thought of that?' Jamie said coolly. Katherine pondered on the thought. 'Besides, it's not like he cares about any of us – like he even knows we exist. He's got his world and I've got mine, and they will never collide! I'll make sure of it.'

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**A/N: **_you're liking it right!? Please say yes and review – and I'm still looking for a BETA if anyone cares. _

_This is a filler chapter – just so you guys get an idea of what Jamie is like and that she really is James and Lily's daughter._


	4. Forbidden Contact

_Please vote on the poll on my profile… I got nothing so far._

_Nice long chapter this one. So sit back, get comfy and enjoy!_

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Chapter 4  
**Forbidden Contact**

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James couldn't get over the fact that his only son was all grown up, graduating from school next year and saved the wizarding world. He couldn't be prouder to be called Harry Potter's father… if only anyone knew.

He didn't see why the world couldn't know but Lily had made it very clear to him that Harry was not to know. But since when did he ever listen to the orders that Lily gave him? How could she have been so cruel as to keep him from his son? But then again… it technically was his idea to do this in the first place, and Lily was sticking by it even though of her broken heart.

James sat at the breakfast table, munching on his piece of toast, watching Lily read the _Daily Prophet._

'You're staring at me, James,' she said without looking up.

'How do you always know?' he asked curiously.

'Because I've been married to you for twenty years and I know what you're like. So what are you planning this time?' she asked casually.

'What makes you think I'm planning something?'

'Because you always do this when you're planning something and you don't want me to know. So what is it? Don't make me guess.'

'Guess then, I have nothing to hide.'

'Well let's eliminate the obvious,' Lily folded up the newspaper. 'It's only early October and it's still way too early to be considering Christmas; so you won't be thinking about my birthday until December, you're definitely not thinking about your birthday at this time of the year, our anniversary was in August… that leaves some sort of activity on Halloween. Oh, and contacting Harry but you're not that stupid, are you?' she joked.

James stiffened hoping that a flicker of fear didn't appear in his eyes. Much to his dismay, it did.

'Oh my… you're actually thinking about that, weren't you? I can't believe this – you were going to go behind my back to talk to our son.'

'So what? He's our son, what harm is there if he knows the truth now? He's of age and he's going to find out sooner or later.'

'How do you plan on him finding out now? Nobody has a clue about the truth and frankly, I would like it to stay that way.'

'Well I don't, OK?'

'Do you have any idea what kind of danger that would put us in? Put Jamie in?'

'What danger?! You-Know-Who is dead; there is nothing out there to get us if we admit it now.'

'How about the wrath of our children? Is that enough danger for you or did you not even consider how they would react?'

'Of course I did,' James lied. 'Harry would be happy that his parents are alive-'

'Happy or angry, James? We've lied to him, to Jamie, to the whole world for _17_ years. He won't be that accepting of the news and he'll have lots of questions-'

'That we can answer,' James said, his temper getting the best of him. 'Can you honestly tell me it didn't hurt when you saw him hugging another woman as if she was his mother?' He knew he had gone over the line when he said it. Lily hung her head to hide her sadness.

'Yes, James: it did hurt. And I thank you for poking around that fact. We're not talking to him; you're not to contact him. End of discussion.' She got up and with a flick of her wand put the dishes in the sink to clean themselves. 'I'm going to get ready for work.'

James was left in the kitchen, alone. He knew he probably should also be getting ready to leave for work but he had one thing he still had to do…

O – o – O

Harry could tell that summer was no longer around as the weather became filled with cloudy skies and cold winds. The leaves had turned the normal autumn colours and they covered the grounds of Hogwarts. It was Friday morning and Harry was glad he had a free period first.

Harry was eating breakfast with Ron when their girlfriends entered the hall. Each one gave a swift kiss to their boyfriend's cheek or mouth and sat down next to them, starting on their own breakfast.

'So, what do you have today?' Ginny asked, pulling a plate of sausages towards her.

'Free then transfiguration; then double potions and after lunch I have another free before I have charms. You?'

'Got muggle studies first period, then transfiguration, double potions and I have to start planning Quidditch try-outs after lunch. Season is coming up soon.'

'You're gonna let me back on the team, right?' Harry pouted.

'Only if you're still good. As captain, it's my duty to make sure our team performs at its best – not made up of a team including my half-brained brother and boyfriend.'

'Hey!' Ron said with a mouthful. 'I resent that.'

'Merlin, you got to learn better eating habits Ronald,' Hermione said, licking a napkin and beginning to clean his face. Harry snorted in his pumpkin juice.

'Exactly what I mean about half-brained. Can't even feed and clean yourself – how did you live with him last year?'

'I will never know,' Hermione sighed. 'I think we just put him in a corner and ignored him.' Ginny giggled at Hermione's comment, at the same time a screech of owls filled the hall. A flock of owls flew into the hall to deliver the mail to its various owners. Something large with grey feathers crashed into the milk jug in front of Ron… Errol.

'Bloody bird,' Ron mumbled as he untied his letter from the bird's leg. He read it while eating his eggs. 'Mum,' he said with a mouthful of scrambled egg. He swallowed and continued "all is well, wondering how we all are, wants us to stay out of trouble and to make sure Ginny is a-OK. Typical letter.'

'It's still a nice gesture,' Harry said. Students started rambling on about their recent news from the outside world, ignoring the sound of another owl. The owl was black with bright amber eyes and was flying around the hall looking for its receiver. The owl had come in later than all the others, possibly because it was sent rather late. The owl caught sight of who it was suppose the deliver the letter to and rested in front of them.

Harry stared bewildered at the owl, which stuck out its leg waiting for Harry to take the letter. Harry slowly began to untie the string that tied the letter to the bird's leg. He allowed the owl to take a sip from his goblet before it flew back to wherever it came from.

'I never get mail, though,' Harry said uncertainly staring at the rolled up parchment. 'Who would send me something?'

'Mum?' Ron suggested.

'I don't think so: she would have put it with your letter. And besides, this owl doesn't belong to your family, does it?'

'Hey, what's that around it?' Ginny asked. Harry saw something gleam back at him. He slipped the parchment out of its bond and discovered the Gryffindor crest on a clear red stone, which sat upon a silver band.

'Wow' Hermione breathed. 'That's one of the few Gryffindor family rings that I've read about. After like 15 consecutive generations get into Gryffindor, a ring is presented to the family and is passed down the Gryffindor blood line.'

'That's right,' Ron said. 'Dad wears one just like it. Always wondered what it was.'

Harry, being the curious lad that he is, decided to read the small parchment that was still rolled up inside his hand. He smoothed it out, attempting to read the rushed red writing on it.

_Harry –_

_Sorry this is slightly belated, but _Happy Birthday! _18 is a big number, this was roughly about the same time when you're father proposed to your mother._

_I don't really know where to start, but basically I knew your parents very well and I think it's about time that you know more about them and who they were. Your mother, Lily, was a beautiful witch, talented and caring to all. Your father was rather dashing, a prankster, yes, but still a great guy. I know this doesn't really sound like much of a description but to prove that I did know your parents, the ring in which this letter was rolled up in, belonged to your father. It has been passed down generations through the Potter blood line and I think that it rightfully belongs to you._

_Sorry that it's taken me so long to write to you: I've been a little… let's say preoccupied. But trust me when I say that you're parents were good people._

_If you would like to talk more about your parents or anything else, please write back to me._

_Sincerely Yours,_

_Jason Parker_

_P.S. The bird doesn't bite, its name is Mischief. _

'Whoa,' Ginny said, making Harry jumped: he was unaware she was reading over his shoulder. '_The _Jason Parker?' A gagging sound came from across the table. Harry and Ginny's heads shot up. Ron was choking on something (perhaps he should learn to chew before swallowing), and it was causing heads to turn. Hermione gave him a good thump on his back and Ron's grasps turned into a cough.

Ginny gave the people who were staring at Ron, a look that simply said he's ok; go back to your eating. Students shrugged it off as Ron got his breath back, and went back to their conversations.

'I didn't know you knew Jason Parker,' Ron said, his eyes widening.

'I don't… wait. Who's Jason Parker?' Harry asked giving both red heads a quizzical look.

'"Who's Jason Parker!?"' Ron said in disbelief. When Harry gave him no hint of a joke, he drew in a deep breath. 'I keep forgetting how much you know. OK – Jason Parker is the seeker for Puddlemere United. He's the second best seeker in the world, after Viktor Krum.' Ron didn't seem to mind Krum's name anymore since he and Hermione got together. 'I didn't know that you're parents knew him.'

'Neither did I. Then again, I don't know many people that knew my parents that are now… you know… in the "right mind" to talk.'

'Are you going to write back?' asked Hermione.

'I don't know. The letter isn't that convincing is it, but he seemed to know that. I mean I've got the ring now, but is there any proof that it really did belong to my dad?'

'Well,' Hermione said in an all knowing way tone. 'The enchantment that's placed on the rings show who is the next to own the ring – so what child it is passed down to. If you look into the stone and see yourself, Harry, then you know that it's meant for you and that it isn't fake. Besides the letter doesn't seem dangerous, or threatening in any way. I don't think he's out to hurt you, Harry. I don't see any harm in writing back to him, but it's up to you.'

'Excuse me,' Harry said suddenly. He gave Ginny a swift kiss on the cheek, grabbed the letter and ring and walked out of the Great Hall, leaving the others completely dumbfounded. Harry ran to the seventh floor, to a certain room that lay opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. Harry flung himself into the room as soon as it appeared. He was in search for a place to recollect his thoughts and the room provided the perfect essentials.

It was much like the Gryffindor common room, only smaller… and a whole lot quieter! Harry fell back into the armchair by the small fireplace and watched the flames dance. Did he want to know more about his parents? It had been 17 years, and he had gotten most of the pieces to his parents missing lives. But this man, this Jason Parker, had mentioned his father's proposal – he had never heard that story before. Even though Harry was 18, he still loved listening to stories about the "old days" when his parents were alive.

But who was this man? Neither Remus or Sirius nor anyone else ever mentioned a Jason Parker before. How come? How much did he know about James Potter? Were they close like Sirius and James? Or was he just a random person that happened to know some events? The name had sound faintly familiar…

'Jason Parker,' Harry whispered, allowing the name to roll off his tongue. Nothing – no memory, no vision, no reason why he felt like he knew that name from somewhere. Harry needed to figure out what he wanted to do. He pulled at his unruly black hair, desperately thinking. He stared at the ring; he saw something was inside it. He peered into it, blurring his vision to see what it was. His own face smiled back at him. Harry considered that this could be his reflection gleaming back at him, but Harry moved muscles in his face, he even waved a hand in front of his face – the hologram stayed the same. It had been the Potter ring.

Harry had made his decision. It had been a gut feeling like as if he had drunk a whole bottle of Felix Felicis and it was leading him to make the right decision. A desk appeared for Harry, equipped with paper and quill. Harry began to scribble down a note.

_To Jason Parker,_

_There's so much to ask about my parents: stories I hope you could tell me about. I would very much like to meet you. My next Hogsmeade trip is on 21__st__ of October, I shall be waiting at the Three Broomsticks at around 1 O'clock. _

_Please write back if there is any inconvenience to this. But also note that for obvious reasons, I'm bringing my girlfriend with me. Also because I promised that I would spend the day with her anyways._

_Harry_

Rereading what he wrote, Harry seemed slightly confident about his choice. Harry left the room, knowing that Ron would be definitely be looking for him. But first, he had to make a detour to the owlery.

Walking up the steps, he assumed he would be using Pig or possibly one of the school owls; imagine his surprised when the same owl was waiting for him there. The bird flew to his shoulder and stuck out its left leg as if he already knew what he was doing up there.

'Mischief,' Harry mumbled, stroking the owl's long, black feathers. He noticed that one of Mischief's feathers on his left wing was white, and stood out among the rest. 'I guess you know who this is for?' The owl gave a low hoot and blinked its amber eyes. Harry tied the letter to the owl's extended leg. The owl took off, leaving Harry somewhat satisfied.

O – o – O

Jamie was waiting for Care of Magical Creatures to start with Katherine. She didn't really like the subject, it was kinda a bore. She had done it because of Katherine, who loved the animals with a passion and had begged her to do it with her because no one else would. She still didn't know how Katherine made her do this, often at times she believed she was under the influence of the Imperius curse.

'Morning all' said a voice gruffly.

'Morning Professor Hagrid,' echoed around the small hut.

'Today,' Hagrid started, 'we'll be looking at hippogriffs. I know you did them before but those were under different circumstances. Today we will look at the way they move in the sky and on the ground.' At that moment a screech from above caught the class's attention. Jamie looked up to see about 4 hippogriffs flying, all different colours with a unique pattern on their feathers. What really caught her eye was what was flying slightly below them.

A black owl was flying, a letter tied to its leg. She saw that one of the feathers was white and was clearly presented among the rest of the black feathers. Jamie recognised the owl as her father's; she had known it for many years. She assumed the bird was in search for her, before it flew away… from her, the owlery and Hogwarts. Jamie frowned, wondering what the bird would be doing here if it wasn't for her. Perhaps she ought to write a letter to her parents, asking why. How many birds could look exactly like Mischief?

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**A/N: **_You're still reading!? YAY! I LOVE YOU ALL!_

_Thanks for the many reviews – I cherish them with all my heart._

_Keep them coming though – I'm addicted to reviews… supply me!_

_P.S. Don't you think _Bet on It _sung by Zac Efron in HSM2 has very HP- ish lyrics? I thought so…_


	5. Left Behind

**A/N: **_Dedicated to an author who, in my opinion, is absolutely awesome: _**SwishAndFlick31**_. Her story, _Even after Time, _is one of my faves. Loved her most recent update. _

_Please vote on my poll. Why? Because you love my stories and by extension: __me.

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Chapter 5  
**Left Behind**

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October 20th was here which meant that October 21st was fast approaching. Since then, James and Harry had been exchanging almost daily letters, under Lily's nose no doubt. Harry was finding out more and more about his parents, and often read stories that Remus and Sirius seemed to have continently forgotten.

With the arranged date one day away, James was definitely in a better mood. He knew what stories to tell Harry; the careful thing was that he had to watch what he said. There was no harm in telling Harry stories about his parents… he just had to speak everything in the third person so that Harry wouldn't become suspicious. Another thing he had to be careful of was Lily.

Lily seemed to be slightly suspicious about the sudden amount of time he spent in the study, which he never seemed to use before. She had often gone in the room after he left, hoping to find some evidence or a reason why he had a sudden liking to the study. Lily knew he must have put an alarm system because when she went past to drop off some lunch, he was always at the desk reading a book. And James _never_ reads.

That night, Lily came upstairs to find James already getting ready for bed. It was only 9:30 and she knew James often preferred to stay up really late and sleep in till midday. This was rather odd.

'Going to bed?' she said from the doorway. James turned to face her.

'Yeah, rough day at Quidditch. Do you know how annoying it is, knowing that someone almost half your age is a better seeker than you? Especially for the past seven years. Anyways thought I would turn in early, you?'

'Yeah, it's been a long day,' Lily replied. She had a hint that James was up to something and it would either happen late at night or the early hours of the morning. James cupped her face and gave her a kiss. Lily place her hand over his, realising something was missing. 'Your ring'

'Huh?' James said bewildered.

'Your ring. Your Gryffindor ring – where is it?' Lily asked, taking his hand and examining it.

'Oh. I don't know. Probably left it at the lockers at practice, nothing to worry about,' James lied.

'But you love that ring. It's been in your family for generations, you never take it off.'

'For practice I do. I don't want to get knocked out by a bludger and then someone with sticky fingers taking it.

'Ok then…' Lily said unconvinced.

'Trust me: I probably left it at training.'

'Well… do you know where Mischief is then?' Lily asked casually as she searched the drawers for her pyjamas. 'I want to send a letter and I would sleep better knowing I did it now.'

'Uh… I think he's out hunting,' James lied flawlessly, knowing perfectly well that Mischief had only left earlier that afternoon with another letter to Harry.

'Again? I never see him around anymore.'

'A bird's gotta keep himself preoccupied somehow,' James shrugged.

'If you say so. He's never been this bored before though,' said Lily digging more furiously through the clothes.

'Let him live while he's young.'

'Young? You've had him for almost twelve years. That's hardly adolescence,' Lily laughed.

'He'll (_hopefully_) be back in the morning and you can send your letter then.' James faked a yawn, hoping to end the conversation before something slipped. 'Well… good night.' James kissed her on the cheek as she pulled her nightgown out of the drawer. She knew he was hiding something. Twenty years of marriage would not go to waste, especially when there were secrets being kept from her.

In the morning, the answer had come to her.

Lily woke to a gentle tapping sound. She opened one eye and saw a barn owl waiting for her at the window. She turned over to see that James was still fast asleep, and she made no attempt to try and wake him up. She got up, still making sure that James was snoring and opened the window. An autumn breeze blew in, making James stir in his sleep. After knowing he had gone back into a deep slumber, Lily took the letter from the owl's leg.

She recognised the handwriting to be from Jamie. The worst conclusion jumped to mind. Jamie never wrote to James and Lily unless they wrote to her first. She was one of those teens that didn't commute much with their parents while they were at school. What also shocked Lily was the fact that the letter was addressed to her… just her.

Not wanting to hesitate any longer, she walked out of the room, planning to read the letter in the privacy of the study. She opened the envelope and read the small piece of parchment within.

_Dear mum,_

_No I'm not in trouble, and nothing has happened to me. I'm fine. Just want to reassure you first, because I know what you're like mum._

Lily felt a wave of relief wash over her… that is before she continued reading.

_I'm actually writing in concern of Dad. I have been seeing Mischief a lot at Hogwarts recently, and the weird thing is__: he isn't seeing me. I didn't just jump to conclusions at first, thinking that it could have easily been another bird. But mum, how many black owls have __one__ white feather on their left wing? Coincidence? I think not._

_In fact, this letter also concerns Harry Potter…_

Lily felt her heart skip a beat. What was James up to? She knew if she kept on reading, all the answers would become clear. Did she really want to know?

_It has come to my attention that Mischief has been appearing regularly at the Gryffindor table when the mail arrives. Not for me... for Harry. And I also realise that Harry has been writing back. What is dad up to, mum? Why is he contacting Harry Potter? And what aren't you guys telling me?_

_I know you're… let's say _fans_ of him. But writing to him is a bit… young, for you guys isn't it?_

_Charming Jamie, _Lily thought, _calling your parents old._

_If I don't get answers from you, my own parents and flesh and blood. Then you will leave me no choice but to ask Harry what you guys are up to. And don't you dare tell him to not to mention it or my hand might just slip some Veritaserum over someone's morning juice. Not gonna say who, but answers are required if you please._

_Lots of Love,_

_Jamie._

_So that's what James is up to, _Lily thought bitterly. _He's talking to Harry. Against my orders! I'll show him what happens when he messes with me!_

O – o – O

James woke but he was barely awake. He loved Saturdays: no training (most times) and he had the privilege of sleeping in till noon, something he enjoyed the most. But today, he wasn't planning on sleeping in… not when he had a meeting with his son. He planned on waking at 9, his usual time for training. He would pretend that he was going to go to training that day (even though it wasn't on) and therefore, Lily wouldn't discover what he was up to. He groggily looked at the clock. 11:30.

_Shit!_ James thought, _I'm late. _He attempted to leap out of the bed but found himself stuck. He tried again, but he barely rolled over. James tried moving his arms, they were glued to their current positions; his legs as well. He couldn't move. He was frozen.

It had come to his attention that Lily was watching him from the end of the bed. Her arms were crossed and she was wearing an expression that he had hoped he wouldn't have to see again after he got her pregnant during the war.

'What have you done to me?' he tried to say but all that came out was an "mmm-hmmm-mmm". His mouth was shut tight. But she seemed to understand what he was getting at.

'I got a letter from Jamie this morning. She said that she's been seeing Mischief at school recently and that he isn't dropping off letters for her…' _Oh no. I don't like where this is going, _thought James. 'In fact she has noticed why he's there. And who for…' _I __definitely__ don't like where this is going. _'You've been contacting Harry, haven't you?'

James didn't answer… well, he couldn't. He just stared at her, using his frozen expressionless face as a cover. '"I can't wait to finally meet you, Jason. You seemed to really know my parents more than I could ever imagine. There's still so much I don't know, and you seem to have all the answers. Again, can't wait to see you at the Three Broomsticks on Saturday! Harry."' _Damn it. _'I found these,' she held up a small pile of letters, 'in your "secret" place. Ingenious hiding them inside Quidditch Throughout the Ages, didn't think I would look there did you? Sure I did overlook it at first, but now it is so obvious that you've been reading the same book for two weeks! And I know that you can read that book in one night, let alone two weeks. So Saturday, huh? At the Three Broomsticks? In… oh another hour or so.'

Lily came over and dropped the pile of letters on his torso. 'You are not going to that meeting,' she hissed. 'You're the one who chose this life. You're the one who decided that we weren't going to save him from Petunia. It was you who told me I couldn't have my son seventeen years ago, and now… I'm taking him away from you. What were you thinking?' she spat, but tears were starting to form in her eyes. 'What if he found out the truth? What if you ran into Jamie?' _Knew I was forgetting something_, James thought. 'We agreed that neither he nor Jamie would ever find out. And that we weren't to contact him. I've resisted the urge, why can't you!?' The tears were starting to fall from her emerald eyes. 'You've been put in a body bind. I will remove it at five, when Harry will be back at Hogwarts. If you ever try this again, believe me, I will use something far worse than a body bind to stop you. Don't think I won't kill my husband if it means that Harry and Jamie's minds are kept peaceful.'

_Gotta get to my wand, _James thought desperately. These words were stabbing him repeatedly in the chest. _Accio wand! _He thought with all his might. Nothing happened. _Accio wand!_ Again, nothing happened. _Damn it! I was never good at non-verbal spells. _'You were never good at non-verbal spells, James,' Lily sniffed. 'That's why your wand is in an actual safe place, just in case you finally mastered the skill.'

O – o – O

Harry came out of Honeydukes, his pockets a little lighter from coins but his hands filled with Honeydukes's best chocolate. He shared this sweet delight with Ginny, as a special treat for the both of them during this wonderful Hogsmeade trip. Harry checked his watch, almost every ten minutes to make sure he wouldn't run late.

'Hey Gin, it's 12:55. We better head to the Three Broomsticks. We can have some butterbeer, my shout, of course,' Harry beamed at his girlfriend. He was quite excited about this meeting with Jason Parker. Not because he was the second best seeker in the world, and was a fellow celebrity, but there was so much Jason had promised to tell him about his parents.

'OK,' Ginny bit into her chocolate. 'I could use a drink. Not that I'm flattered by the fact that you kept to your word about spending the day with me, and that you want me to be apart of this or that I don't want to know more about your parents, too: but why do I need to be with you when you meet him?'

'Simply that. I made a promise to my girlfriend, and I'm sticking to it,' he kissed Ginny's slightly cold cheek. 'And I won't know what he looks like without you.' Ginny giggled as she pulled Harry closer and pressed her lips gently against his. 'Come on, lets go get a table,' Ginny said as she grabbed Harry by the arm and yanked him in the direction of the Three Broomsticks.

Inside, which was always the right temperature, they found a table near the front so that they could see Jason more easily.

'I'll go the drinks,' Ginny said, not sitting down.

'Um… shouldn't I? You know what he looks like.'

'Yeah, but he will recognise you, no doubt. It's a bit hard to miss you,' Ginny teased playfully. Harry threw a couple of Galleons her way, smirking. Harry watched the door for someone, anyone that would be looking for The-Boy-Who-Lived. Wizards and witches of all ages came in and out of the main entrance, but no one was looking for him. It wasn't too long before Ginny came back with their butterbeers.

'Thanks,' Harry said as Ginny passed him the change from the drinks.

'No sign yet?'

'You tell me.' Ginny looked around the room, squinting in the dark corners.

'Well… I can't see anyone who looks remotely like him. Oh, I'm so excited. I mean _the _Jason Parker. Do I look OK?' Ginny asked, whipping out a compact mirror. Harry laughed at her.

'Look, he isn't here for autographs or photos. He's going to be here to tell me more about my parents-'

'I know that! But can't a girl look her best for Quidditch royalty?'

'What about me?' Harry whispered suggestively in her ear. 'What about the Chosen One?'

'Hmm… no. I'm into Quidditch players… good Qudditch players. No scratch that. Exceptional Quidditch players,' she smirked, still checking herself in the mirror.

'Oh!' Harry placed a hand over his heart. 'Ginny Weasley, you hurt me. I don't think I can sit here with you. Please leave,' Harry said in mock hurt.

'Would this make it up to you?' Ginny kissed him full on the mouth.

'Hmm… it might,' he said before kissing her back.

'You know…' Ginny said as she drew back. 'We're never gonna see him if we're too busy making-out. So strain yourself.'

'Only if you do, Miss Weasley. I know I'm hard to resist but can you lay your hands off me for five minutes?' Harry pouted. Ginny punched him in the arm.

'Talk to me like that again, and I will not let you try-out next week,' Ginny said in a serious tone. Harry gave in, but that didn't stop them from continuing their make-out fest. What had seemed like a few minutes, a voice stopped them in their act.

'How many times do I have to ask you guys _not _to do that in public?' said Ron's voice.

'Shut up, Ron. Or I might have take away some of your privileges,' Hermione said as Harry and Ginny broke apart.

'So I just missed him, eh?' Ron asked, pulling a chair up at the table.

'Uh… no. He hasn't shown up yet,' said Harry. 'But he's only… two hours late! Have we really spent two hours snogging, Gin?' Ginny gave him a little nod.

'Bloody hell! Two _hours_!? I'm glad I broke up your little party. But why would he be two hours late?'

'Practice?' Harry offered

'No, he would have sent an owl or something. And you asked if it was at any inconvenience to him and he said he would come,' Hermione said.

'Then where is he?' Ron asked

'Beats me. Though I guess it wasn't a total waste of a Hogsmeade trip,' Ginny winked at Harry.

'I'm gonna pretend that I didn't see that wink, Ginerva Molly,' said Ron sternly. 'But we have to get back soon. Otherwise some teacher, probably Flickwick will have our heads if we don't finish that homework, mate.'

'Yeah… but he still hasn't shown up yet.'

'Don't worry Harry,' Hermione said sweetly. 'I'll start off your essay for you and Ginny. I've finished mine already.'

'How come you'll help them?' Ron exclaimed.

'Because this meeting means a lot to Harry, and he can't be expected to know everything. And it's just the introduction.'

'But… Hermione!' Ron whined.

'Don't worry, Ron. I'll help you with something else,' Hermione flirted. Ron blushed the same colour of his roots. Harry and Ginny exchanged a small smirk as Ron gave Hermione a kiss. Once broken apart, Ron looked very eager to get back to Hogwarts.

'Bye Harry! Bye Gin!' Ron called out as he made his way to the door.

'Bye guys – RON! Stop pulling me!' Hermione said, but her voice was drowned out by the amount of conversations by other customers.

It wasn't too long before another hour went by. Harry was pretty much ready to retire back to the Gryffindor Common Room.

'There's no point in waiting anymore, Gin. He's not coming, let's get back to school,' he said, getting up.

'Yeah, I suppose. But why did he stand us up like that?'

'I don't know. But I don't think this meeting was very important to him,' Harry looked at the gleaming Gryffindor ring on his finger. 'C'mon. We don't want to get into trouble by staying out past curfew.' Ginny nodded and gave him a quick peck on the lips. _Jason Parker sure has a lot of explaining to do_, Harry thought irritably. _If it wasn't this important, he should have said something. Maybe it was just an act…_ Harry felt his heart plummet. _Maybe he wasn't the real deal after all…_

* * *

**A/N: **_Aww… another chapter finished._

_Yes, Harry got stood up by his parents. Pity, eh? But builds drama so that works… for me._

_Will Harry ever know the truth?? And will Lily let her guard down long enough for James to see Harry? _

_Something random for you to think about. Merry Christmas everyone! Maybe another chapter will be out before the New Year rolls in. _

_Lots of Merry love,  
__Creative Touch _


	6. A Second Chance

**A/N: **_Christmas was here and now it's gone. I was hoping to make a Christmas special but things were a little hectic for the holidays down under. Oh well… _

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Chapter 6  
**A Second Chance**

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Missing the meeting with Harry really was a kick-in-the-pants for James. He was always moping around the house, and hardly spoke to Lily anymore. Even after a week, he still hadn't forgiven her for her actions. James was really depressed – actually, he was past depressed and was permanently miserable. Nothing made him smile anymore, and he cursed every sun filled day that happened through the week.

Unfortunately, his coach couldn't handle his mood. James had been suspended for two weeks because of how lousy he was playing on the field. This just upset him even further. And to top that all off, Mischief hadn't been seen for over a week. He never returned from the last journey to Harry, which was before the meeting. James was now pretty sure that the old bird had died on the way. Even though he was under the watchful eye of his wife, without Mischief meant that he couldn't write letters to Harry.

James climbed up the stairs to go to bed at a reasonable 8:30. That's all he did: sleep, eat, shower, sleep, eat, mope around some more and then sleep again at the end of the day. He entered the room, ready to collapse on the bed but he stopped realising that it was occupied.

There was a suitcase on the bed, lying wide open. Lily was packing clothes and other belongings into the suitcase, not realising that James was standing in the doorway.

'You going somewhere?' he managed to ask her.

'Do you never pay attention to what I say?' she said not looking up.

'Obviously if I just asked'

Lily let out a frustrated sigh, 'the girls and I are going down to the mountains for a week. I told you, at least, a dozen times. Nice to know that you listen.'

'Oh… right,' James responded, walking over to the dresser to get out his pyjamas.

'Can I trust you?'

'Huh?' he asked, while pulling off his shirt.

'Can I trust you to be a good boy and not to contact Harry?' she asked with her hands on her hips.

'Oh…' the thought hadn't even got a chance to cross his mind. But now that it had, he was liking it more and more. 'Yeah, of course.'

Lily glared at him. 'I don't like the tone of your voice, Jason,' she said emphasizing on his fake name.

'Lils, chill. I won't do anything…' _that I would admit to. _

'I can easily cancel,' she said as if she could hear his thoughts.

'Why would you do that?' James asked in his most innocent voice.

'So I can keep my eye on you,' she said smugly.

'I'm not a toddler, Lil. I can look after myself.'

'Yeah… that's the point. But if I find out that you did anything behind my back: you, me, issues.'

'Don't worry. Relax Lily. I'm gonna go to bed now if you don't mind,' he kissed her cheek. 'So… what time do you leave tomorrow?'

**O – o – O**

'Isn't it a bit… cold?' Harry asked, tightening his scarf around his neck.

'Hey, it was you who said it was too noisy in the common room. And it was Ron who got us kicked us out of the library-'

'It wasn't my fault! I can't hold in a burp' Ron interjected.

'And there's simply no where else,' Hermione continued, ignoring her boyfriend.

'What about the dormitories?' Harry questioned.

'OK first, you aren't allowed in the girls dormitories and second, I don't like your new roommates.'

'What's wrong with them?' Harry said bemused.

'Everything! They are just so… I don't like them ok?'

'Fine, fine,' Harry gave in as another cold wind came past. Harry shivered wishing that if they were going to do homework by the lake, it wouldn't be so damn cold. Harry picked up his quill with frozen fingers and began to write his paper on Triglot the Valiant. He felt a warm weight land on his shoulder. He could see in the corner of his eye: a black owl with one white feather on its wing. 'Hey Mischief'

'That bird has taken a fancy towards you, Harry,' Ron said.

'I really wish it wouldn't. It should go back home, it can't live at Hogwarts forever.'

'Maybe it gets mistreated where he's from'

'Oh, don't get ideas Hermione. Next thing we'll know, you would have made P.O.M.O.: Protection of Mistreated Owls.'

'Oh shut up Ron,' Hermione snapped. 'It was just a suggestion. Maybe if you tried writing back to Jason, Mischief would leave. After all, he's only here to communicate between you and Jason.'

'I've got nothing to say to Jason Parker.'

'Harry, he would say he was sorry if he actually had a bird to send it with. And Mischief isn't leaving until you write back.'

'Says you'

'Yes, says me,' said Hermione snatching his parchment from under his arm.

'Hey! What are you doing?' Harry exclaimed, making Mischief ruffle his feathers.

'I'm gonna do your paper so you can write back.'

'Fine, do all of my papers! I am not writing back to him Hermione.'

'Yes you are… or I'll erase all that you've written so far,' Hermione threatened, taking her wand out and pointing it at the eleven inch essay.

'You wouldn't dare,' Harry said unconvincingly.

'She would, mate. You know what she's capable of,' Ron piped in, looking very excited at the match happening in front of him.

'Fine. But you have to do History of Magic AND Potions.'

'Only if you write the letter right here and now,' Hermione smiled triumphantly.

'OK… I'll do it.' Harry cursed Hermione for having good bargaining powers over him. He took out a fresh piece of paper and began scribbling down a note.

_To Jason,_

_I was a little disappointed that you didn't show up to our meeting last week. I don't know what was going on with you but you let me down nonetheless. But I suppose you can make it up to me by promising me that you will meet me before the Christmas holidays. _

_Our last Hogsmeade trip before the holidays will be on November 24th. I know it is still a while away, but it's the best I can do. I will be waiting at the same place and same time, which is the Three Broomsticks at 1 O'clock, in case you forgot. _

'How come you get all the luck? You got Hermione to do two essays for you and you get to write to a great Quidditch player instead,' Ron grumbled.

'It's something I'm born with, mate,' Harry replied signing off the letter. He passed it to Hermione. 'Got your approval?'

'Yes, thank-you Harry,' she said, handing it back to him after reading the short message.

'Here, Mischief. I think you know who this is for,' said Harry, tying the letter to Mischief's leg. The black owl blinked its amber eyes to say that it understood. Mischief let out its wings and flew off, glad that Harry Potter had answered his master's letter.

**O – o – O**

It took exactly 24 hours before James received the letter. Feeling relieved that his faithful bird had not died, he was eager to reply back.

'November? That's far too long. Lily will be on to me in a second!' James cursed at the top of his lungs. No one was home, so who would care? 'Think James… think!' He had to do it before Lily got back, so that didn't give him much time. He had about 6 more days left; the best he could come up with was the weekend. Did Harry know about the tunnels? Probably… if Harry was anything like, and therefore just as curious, as him.

Would this count as breaking rules? Since when did James Potter care about the rules? He was breaking his wife's just by thinking about trying to smuggle Harry out for a chat! It had to be this week: there was just no other way around it. James held his breath as he picked up his quill and began to write…

**O – o – O**

'So what does it say?' Hermione squealed in a hushed voice.

_Harry,_

_November 24th is absolutely no good for me. I just cannot get out of my activities on that day. How about this weekend? I know you have school and all, but you are 18. And therefore, a legal adult that doesn't need parent or guardian permission to go to Hogsmeade. And I bet if you ask your Headmistress kindly, then she will allow you to go this weekend. After all, you do have the fact that you defeated You-Know-Who up your sleeve._

_Please, at least, try. _

_Jason. _

_P.S. Do you know the one-eyed witch statue? If all else fails, go to the statue, make sure no one is around, and tap the statue and say "_Dissendium". _It leads straight into Honeydukes. Hope that this helps. _

'He wants to meet me again…' Harry started.

'Oh Harry, that's brilliant!'

'But he can't make it to the next Hogsmeade trip.'

'Oh,' Hermione said, sounding sympathetic.

'He says that I should try and ask McGonagall to let me go to Hogsmeade this weekend,' Harry rushed on, his eyes glued to the parchment in his hand.

'Pfft… like that's bloody likely,' Ron interjected. 'You having privileges that other students have never been allowed before.'

'Yeah, Harry,' said Hermione, 'that's just a bit too much.'

'Yeah, but he said I should ask "kindly".'

'Nothing's gonna work, mate. McGonagall won't budge that easily.'

'He did have another idea though…'

'Will he come down here?' Ron asked hopefully

'He wouldn't do that. All these students around, it would be too much for him,' responded Hermione. 'He probably moved the date, no?' She turned to Harry.

'Nope. He wants me to sneak out of the castle,' Harry spoke quietly. 'He mentioned the one-eyed passage. I guess some students did know about it.'

'You're not thinking of going are you?' Hermione whispered.

'Sure, why not?' Harry shrugged.

'Because he's asking you to break the rules, Harry! I don't think he sounds that nice if he's asking you to come alone and to not get caught.'

'He didn't say for me to come alone.'

'Like we can sneak one person out, let alone two!'

'We'll think of something. I've got the cloak and the map… and you guys of course. And I can ask Ginny to come along or something.'

'Oh no,' Ron said putting his hand up. 'Last time, you guys had a two-hour make-out fest. And second, Hermione is right. He sounds a bit dodgy.'

'Dodgy? You two are the ones who put me up to this in the first place!' Harry said irritably. 'And don't you lecture me about Ginny and me, when you and Hermione are just as bad.' Ron's ears started to turn their favourite colour: beetroot.

'Harry, listen to me: he could be out to hurt you or something.'

'So what? I defeated Voldemort and I can look after myself, Hermione. If it's a fight he wants, then so be it. I'll never know unless I go (**A/N: **_didn't mean for that to rhyme. No pun intended_).'

'Fine but ask Ginny first,' Hermione gave in.

'Ask me what?' Ginny's voice came from behind.

'This,' Harry thrusted the letter at her.

'I don't understand,' she replied, reading the letter. 'You want me to ask McGonagall for you?'

'No… to sneak out with me. This weekend.' Ginny's eyes grew wide with fear.

'I'm sorry Harry I can't. And you can't either.'

'Why?' Harry asked bemused.

'Quidditch tryouts. DUH!'

'Oh right…' Harry said slightly disappointed. He had forgotten the Quidditch tryouts… after all, the season was about to start soon. In a couple of weeks in fact.

'Harry,' Ginny sighed. 'If you really want to go, I can push the seeker tryouts to Sunday. That way you can see him on Saturday. Deal?'

Harry jumped up and kissed her full on the mouth. 'Deal.'

* * *

**A/N: **_I'm sorry! It took me forever to get this out and I ended it on a cliffhanger! Please forgive me!_

_I have been sorta busy… mainly with the story _Filling in the Gap_ which I love very much. And I still have to get the chapters of _MOL _and _LoI _out of my mind and onto the page. But I like _FitG _so much – I cannot resist it._

Time Weave _should be updated soon… I hope… _

_Lots of Love,  
Creative Touch_

_xxx_


	7. The Visual

**A/N: **_OMG! THANKS EVERYONE! In around 13 hours later… I received 20 emails from Fanfiction, more or less about this story. Main point: they were all positive!_

_Btw, this story is told by both James and Harry… at the same time so it might get a little confusing. I'm just warning you in case it does._

* * *

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Chapter 7  
**The Visual**

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'You'll be OK, Harry?' Hermione quavered.

'Hermione, I will be back before you'll know it,' Harry reassured her, checking the map one last time.

'But what if someone sees you? And tells McGonagall? Or worse, McGonagall sees you?' she panicked.

'Hermione, calm down. If it happens, then it happens and we'll worry about it then, OK?' he asked her. She sighed but nodded. 'OK, the coast is clear. Just keep watching just in case.'

'Will do, mate,' Ron said, looking around for anybody. 'Get his autograph for me, will ya?'

'I'll try,' Harry smirked, tapping the one-eyed witch. '_Dissendium_' At once, the statue's hump opened. 'See you guys later.'

'Be careful, Harry,' Hermione urged.

'I will. I'll be back in a couple of hours. Good luck at the tryouts, Ron,' Harry said as he hoisted himself into the hole headfirst and pushed himself forwards. _Man, I am way too old to be doing this again_, Harry thought heading into the cramped space.

O – o – O

It was ten to one when Harry arrived at Honeydukes, under the invisibility cloak. He made his way to the Three Broomsticks, keeping his eye out for any teachers or anybody that would turn him in. Harry could feel his heart beat underneath his skin, his stomach churn at the possibilities of what could happen… he could turn back.

He could run. He could just make up an excuse like he got caught sneaking out of the castle, but Harry's legs carried him closer to the Three Broomsticks. Harry found himself a table, near the back of the pub… just in case. Tucking in the cloak into his pocket, he knew he would just have to hope that Jason could find him… and recognise him before someone else does.

Harry didn't have to wait long though. It wasn't long until he saw someone smile at him and walk up to him. Harry managed a weak smile back, hoping that this was the right person.

'I'm glad to finally meet you, Harry. Jason Parker, at your service,' he greeted. Harry shook his hand and recognised him as the man on the platform at the beginning of the term. Jason had sandy blonde locks and silver eyes hidden behind a pair of rectangular glasses. Again, just by looking at him, Harry had the weirdest feeling that he knew him from somewhere else. Not just from the platform but for so much longer. 'I figured you would get a seat at the back.'

'Oh yeah.'

'Sneak out of the castle, then?' he questioned but his eyes looked very amused.

'You told me to,' Harry replied.

'True. Like father, like son I suppose. Oh, speaking of which, I brought something for you. To apologise for not showing up last time… my wife got into my plans, unfortunately. Take your time before you make that lovely girl of yours a wife… they can be very demanding.'

'How do you know about Ginny?' Harry questioned.

'Oh… I saw you and her together on the platform… and you mentioned in your letters that you had a girlfriend,' James said quickly. Harry relaxed a bit more, no longer thinking that the man was a stalker of sorts. 'Anyway, this should really belong to you.' He took out a small box from under his cloak and placed it on the table. Harry looked at the box.

It was an old wooden box and was painted with several snitches and the letters JP stood out on top of the lid. 'Did this belong to my dad?'

'No, the box is mine. What's inside belonged to your dad,' James admitted truthfully. It was true, because at the bottom of the lid was a date saying it was made in 1983, two years after he had "died". Harry ran his hand over the box.

'You have the same initials,' he said meekly.

'Oh. What do you know? We do,' James let out a nervous laugh. Of course they had the same initials… that was the original plan of their fake names: to have the same initials but different names. Not many people had realised that – then again, why would they? 'Open it,' he urged on.

Harry held a breath as he carefully lifted the lid of the box. A lot of dust came flying out of the box, which made Harry glad that he was holding his breath. He could see something glisten in the dim light inside. Harry let the lid go back onto its hinges, allowing him to get a better view of the contents within.

Inside were two cufflinks, shining in red and gold and bearing the Gryffindor lion on them. Harry was almost too afraid to touch them, to ruin something so beautiful. Although they came in an old, worn down box, they were so well preserved. 'Wow' Harry breathed.

'Been in your family for generations. Going back to before that ring, which I see you wear,' he said pointing at the glistening ring on his finger.

'Yeah, don't go anywhere without it,' Harry told sheepishly.

'That's nothing to be a shame of, Harry. Your dad really did love that ring, he would be proud that you have it now and that you take it everywhere. It would mean a lot to him,' he said, fighting back his own tears.

'I guess you really did know my dad then?'

'Oh, we were very close,' he spoke seriously. _More than you know._

'How come I've never heard of you before? I mean Sirius and Remus never mentioned you, I'm afraid,' Harry continued.

'Oh you know about Padfoot and Moony?'

'Well… they were my dad's best friends. And they helped me… before they died,' Harry mumbled the last past. James was well aware that his friends were now dead, but at least his son knew of them. Hell, he was glad that they helped him. He just wished that he got a chance to say goodbye before it was too late.

'I see. Well… your father and I were close… but not as nearly as close as his friends at school,' James made up on the spot.

'Weren't you his friend at school?' Harry asked suspiciously.

'We were… but not that great of friends. It was after we graduated that we got to know each other better. I already knew all about the whole Marauder thing but I didn't feel right to intrude on it. Your father and I were neighbours for a brief period of time before I – he went into hiding,' James continued to lie. He had already known what he was going to say, to stop himself from revealing too much. But this question was one that he wasn't prepared for.

'Oh, ok…'

'Do you want a drink?' James asked desperately. He really needed a firewhisky to kill his nerves because he was afraid that he would expose too much information.

'Uh… no thanks,' Harry refused. 'Just curious, though. How come my dad left you with some of his belongings and Sirius and Remus with nothing?'

'Part of his will. He gave stuff to Sirius and Remus but for them personally, he just left me with belongings that he said would be passed down to you once you were older.' James could feel himself sweat with fear and panic. The room was unusually hot for such a cold autumn day. He really should change the subject.

'So these cufflinks… they were really his? He wore them when he married mum?' Harry asked, having a thirst for more knowledge.

'Sure did. Your mum loves them very much,' James answered. _And she will freak when she gets back and realises they're gone from the memory box. _

'What?' Harry asked suddenly

'What?' James jumped.

'You said mum _loves _them very much… and that she would freak when she finds them gone when she comes home.' James's eyes grew wide with fear and alarm. _Busted._

'Did I really say that out loud?'

'You sure did. What do you mean by that? That my mum is alive or something?' Harry looked at him as if he were some sort of madman.

'Uh... no…' James could feel his Adam's apple bob up and down, as it normally did when he panicked like this. 'O-of c-c-course... I think I'll go get a drink,' he said hurriedly.

'No,' Harry growled grabbing his sleeve as he got up. 'You were stuttering, your Adam's apple was bobbing up and down so fast it makes the Firebolt look like a kiddie ride, and you changed the subject. You're hiding something.' Harry examined him with his emerald green eyes. _Damn it_, James thought. _Why does he have to be so much like his mother?_

'Harry…' James started

'What do you know?' Harry demanded.

James gulped. 'I… I…'

'"I…"' Harry pushed on.

'I'm…' How the hell was he supposed to say it? He couldn't just blurt it out. Not to Harry at least. _Think James! _He thought desperately. _Think!! _

'C'mon out with it,' Harry spoke dangerously. Harry's eyes looked a lot like Lily's when she found about the letters. He could feel the words form in his throat but he kept swallowing them down. He didn't want to blurt it out to Harry… these things to be told gently.

'Harry…I'm…'

'Spit it out!'

'I'm James,' he babbled. Silence. 'I'm your father.' Apparently James could just blurt it out to Harry.

* * *

**A/N: **_Another cliffhanger… wow… I'm really getting into these cliffhangers: they're fun to write but not so fun to read, I know._

_Thanks for all the supportive response I got from my faithful readers. I was just so shocked about how many people were reading this and reviewed that I just __had__ to write this chapter soon. _

_So by that, I'm gonna say: the more reviews I get, the faster I'll update the next chapter. That I will promise to you all. I'm gonna base it on the first like 15 hours after it is posted, OK?_

_I would like to thank: _**yolapeoples**, writingqueen13, **Athenian Grace**, panther73110, LazyBoyGilmore, **heartproof**, Nymphatrix, StarsInTheSky123, SongxOofxGlory, **Fiona-Potter**, choirsinger, Richard Cypher, **EmmahLeo**, weheartdumbledore224, **GryffindorGal87**, **MdnightRose**, moonrabbit04, **SmallChatteryOne** and **Spiro Tiger**, _for all their support in reviewing!_

_All the ones in bold reviewed the last chapter. I'm not picking favourites or anything…_

_Keep reviewing because you know I love it._

_Lots of Love,  
__Creative Touch_


	8. Who, What, When, Where, How and Why?

**A/N: **_WOW! New record! 13 hours later… 40 EMAILS!! Even though they weren't all about this story but around 85 were. And that's more than last time. So here's my promise: an actual update._

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Chapter 8  
**Who, What, When, Where, How and Why?**

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

'You're crazy,' Harry spat.

'Maybe I am, but that is the truth Harry,' James admitted.

'No it isn't. My parents died _17 years_ ago. What makes you say anything different?'

'That wasn't us, Harry. They were family friends of ours, using Polyjuice potion to give us a chance of getting out of hiding once in a while. You see… the Polyjuice potion allows the drinker…'

'I know what it does,' Harry interrupted. 'How can I believe you? For all I know, you can be a death eater.'

'Fine. Ask me anything. Anything you want, and I'll prove to you I'm James.'

'Ok… what's mum's sister's name?'

'Petunia,' he answered flawlessly.

'Where did you hide out?'

'Godric's Hollow'

'Who's my godfather?'

'Sirius'

'What did he give me for my first birthday?'

'A kids-sized broomstick. And I'll never forgive him for it. You would take off and make me chase you around the house.'

Harry paused. Anyone could have done research and found all this out – after all there was a statue in Godric's Hollow as a memorial for his parents. He needed a question that no one knew about. Like…

'Are you an Animagus?'

'Yes…'

'What's your Animagus form then?'

'A stag. Padfoot is a large black dog, Wormtail a rat and we did this so we can keep Moony company while he sorted out his furry little problem.' James grinned triumphantly as Harry's jaw dropped.

'D-D-Dad?' Harry stuttered. James nodded, glad that this was going so well. 'Where the bloody hell have you been!?' James almost toppled out of his chair from Harry's sudden change from shock to fury.

'Whoa, whoa. Calm down Harry-'

'Don't you tell me to calm down! You can't drop something like that and expect me to be OK with it! After all I have been through: living at the Dursley's, fighting Voldemort… everything! Where have you been!?'

'We've been in hiding-'

'From who? Voldemort?'

'From you. You were taken away from us by Dumbledore and your mother agreed that it was best that we kept our distance from you.'

'Mum's alive too?'

'Yes, and she will have my head when she finds out I'm here telling you this,' James told him, hoping to get some sympathy from him. To his dismay, he didn't.

'Why did no one tell me this!? Why didn't Dumbledore?'

'No one knew Harry. No one knows that we're alive… except you now.'

'So you've been keeping this a secret? Didn't you care anymore? About anybody but yourselves?'

'Don't you talk to me like that,' James said, raising his voice.

'I can talk to you any way I want to,' Harry retorted back. 'You've been living a happy life by yourselves not caring about the rest of us, who actually _mourned_ your death-'

'Life hasn't been easy on us either, Harry,' James reasoned. 'Don't you think it was hard enough on us having to give you up? We were trying to protect you!'

'By running away? How is that protection?'

'When we saw the ruins, we knew that You-Know-Who wasn't dead. There was no body, and to give you the ultimate protection you had to grow up in the muggle world, where no one could find you.'

'But – but why couldn't you just have taken me and let me grow up in the muggle world?

'That does seem like the ideal solution, doesn't it?' James replied. 'But you were under Dumbledore's watch and if we removed you then the whole world would panic. "The Boy Who Lived gone missing"'

'Yeah, but if you told them you were my parents and that you were alive then why would anyone care?'

'The news would have spread faster that way, wouldn't it? You-Know-Who and his followers would know that you were hiding in the muggle world and we would be on the run again,' James continued. 'Plus, you were dropped off at your aunt and uncle's so that the charm would work because of a blood relative. The charm was sealed on the house so you wouldn't be found whilst growing up – we couldn't just take you! You were protected there and gave us more reason to leave you.'

Harry's eyes seemed to relax but the rest of his face was still plastered with mixed emotions of rage and confusion. 'But didn't you ever try to contact me? Send me a letter? Anything?' said Harry.

'You would want to know the same questions you're asking now. And we figured you were better off not knowing the truth.'

'It's always "we figured". You're my parents – you're supposed to look after me! Be there for me! But you were too busy deciding what to do with your lives. What about Sirius and… and Remus? Did they know the truth?'

'No. As much as I wanted to, your mother forbade me from doing so. If she couldn't have her you then she chose to cut me off from Padfoot and Moony.'

'At least they cared about me,' Harry growled. 'They were there for me because you weren't! They were there till the end. The department of Mysteries, The Triwizard Tournament, DA, even in the forest…' Harry trailed off. The resurrection stone, the forest, the graveyard, Priori Incantatem… 'Wait… how is that even possible?'

'How is what possible?'

'I've seen your ghost. Or soul or imprint or spirit or whatever it is. How come I saw you then? You had to be dead…'

'Not necessarily. They died while they were in our form. The Polyjuice potion takes a little while longer to wear off the dead. It was long enough to convince people that we were dead and to bury the bodies under our name… but also the spirit could look like the way they died. And also… we sort of told them to do it.'

'How can you tell them what to do? They're the ones who are dead.'

'Your mother used one of those widgie board things. She started to believe they were haunting us, blaming us for their deaths so she used the board to talk to them,' James explained. 'She did it every time she thought she could feel their presence. I, personally, thought she was losing her mind but I guess she wasn't. She kept saying that they were telling her that they would reappear in front of you and she kept begging with them to pretend to be us. Disguise themselves, if you will.'

Harry groaned as he put his head in his hands. 'Merlin… this is just too much.'

'I know it is, Harry. But the truth is out there and…'

'And what?' Harry's head shot up. 'What did you think I would say when I found this out? That I'm okay with it? I'm glad that you did what you did. Come back to you and possibly try and even get to know you?'

'I…'

'Try and make up for the childhood that you missed?'

'Harry-'

'You know what _Dad_? You and mum completely blew it. There's no way I would consider these things after what you did,' Harry rushed on.

'Harry, I-'

'Forget it,' Harry slammed his hand on the table as he rose from his chair. 'I've gotten this far without you, and I don't need you now. And you just made it so that I would never have to. Thanks a lot,' he said, his voice dripping with venom. Harry grabbed his cloak and rushed out of the pub, not even looking back. He could hear James call his name as he made his way through the crowds. As soon as he reached the door, he pulled out the invisibility cloak from his pocket and threw it over himself and stormed off in the direction of Hogsmeade, fighting back tears.

O – o – O

James called after Harry, trying his best to keep up with him as he rushed off. He made it to the door, long enough to see a dark-haired teenager disappear under a cloak and then invisible from sight. Harry had the cloak? _Not now James…_

James strangled a frustrated cry that had built up in his throat. He ran his hand through his hair, breathing heavily as if he had just run a marathon. His heart was beating rapidly against his ribcage and his mind was swimming with horrible thoughts. But one stuck out the most…

_Lily is going to kill me. _

O – o – O

Harry made it back to school, still under the invisibility cloak. It wasn't until after he took it off that he remembered that it was once owned by his father. He felt sick to his stomach at the thought that his parents could have held something as big as this, away from him. He effortlessly shoved the cloak into his pocket and set off for the Quidditch pitch where he bet the others were.

He needed his friends. They were at least there for him all this time. He had always thought his parents were great people and now he wasn't even sure who they were. They had always seemed like heroes when really they were cowards. Passing the lake, Harry paused and looked over it's dark waters.

He slipped off the Gryffindor ring that was on his sitting on his finger. With an angry thought of his parents, he threw it into the lake. Somehow he felt like an enormous weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He still fought back the tears that were now really threatening to fall.

Harry heard a loud cheer erupt from the Quidditch pitch. He quickly ran over to see if it was perhaps Ron that was receiving the applause. Arriving at the pitch he saw Ginny instructing a couple of students who were carrying beater bats. He strode over to them and once the others had gotten up in the air, he wrapped his arms around her waist.

'What-?' Ginny whipped around only to be deeply kissed by Harry. Harry broke the kiss, grinning slightly and his breathing ragged. 'Not that I'm not flattered, Harry… but can I ask what I did to deserve such a kiss?' she laughed.

'Oh nothing. I just needed it… needed you,' he kissed her again.

'Bad day?'

'You could say that…'

* * *

**A/N: **_WOW! How long is that title? I always knew that's what I wanted to call it but I didn't really think it would be that long! LOL _

_Sorry that my update was a bit later than many would have hoped. Truth is that with this summer heat that we have in __Australia__, I got slightly dehydrated and collapsed. I've been in hospital for a few days to get my fluids up to date and have been ordered to be on bed rest for (what feels like) several days.. I'm a little weak, dizzy and tired but was determined to keep my promise. Screw bed rest – this is better. _

_So what do ya think?? Personally, I think it's one giant argument and that's probably because it is. LOL! _

_I guess Harry's reaction was pretty obvious, given his history and all. Why would I change him? It's better this way. I know there are still a lot of questions that weren't answered but they will eventually be answered in the next couples. _

_Reviews will be loved and kept close to me at all times. _

_Lots of Love,  
Creative Touch _

* * *


	9. Sibling Rivalry

**A/N:**_WOW! I can't believe that this story has 65 reviews, 60 alerts and 27 faves! This makes _Time Weave _my most successful story yet! Thanks everyone!_

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Chapter 9  
**Sibling Rivalry**

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The wind blew through Harry's hair, blowing it in all different directions. He wasn't nervous. He had nothing to be nervous about. This was just going to be like old times… right?

'You ok, Harry? You look a little pale,' Hermione frowned as they walked towards the Quidditch pitch.

'I'm fine,' Harry lied.

She studied his face and said 'You nervous?' Harry merely shook his head. OK… maybe he was a little nervous. He never had to do this before! He could feel the cold sweat build up on his forehead. Who would have thought that Quidditch tryouts could be so daunting?

It was true that he never had to do this before. He got on the team without even trying; he was just doing what came naturally. And after that, there was no need to try out again for he had a permanent spot on the Gryffindor team. Now he had to do something he should have done 7 years ago…

Harry swallowed a large lump that was growing in his throat. There wouldn't be many people trying out though, right? Since there were never Seeker try-outs that involved him before, no one ever tried to out do him. What if someone was better than him? Him? Harry Potter? The one who was the youngest seeker in over a century?

The nausea was rising from the pit of his stomach as Harry caught sight of Ginny instructing some other students that had got there earlier. Oh damn – other students. Harry hadn't noticed that Hermione had left his side to join Ron in the stands. 'Good Luck, Harry!' she shouted as she ran towards the stands. Harry felt his heart bang hard against his chest, the nausea was horrible.

'Hey Harry,' Ginny brushed her lips against his, causing several male students to make cat calls and whistle. Ginny gave them a hard glare before turning to her boyfriend, 'are you ok?' Harry nodded. He thought it was best that he didn't open his mouth. _Is this how Ron feels before each of the games, and during all those practices? _Harry thought, _I gotta cut him some slack_. 'Nervous?' Again, Harry shook his head.

Harry didn't really pay much attention to Ginny as she instructed them on how they were to be tested. He heard words like 'flying' and 'snitch' and that was pretty much it. He did happen to hear that they were going to be tested in alphabetically order, making Harry one of the last to go. Harry assumed she did this because she was giving him odd glances throughout her speech. A burly fifth year went up into the air at the sound of Ginny's whistle.

Nerves were now causing Harry to shake slightly as he watched the fifth year boy take off. Ginny walked backwards, towards Harry but her eyes were still on the flying figure ahead.

'Are you sure you're ok? You don't look to well…' Ginny asked, her back still facing him.

'I'm fine, Gin. Just…'

'Nerves?'

'Maybe,' he admitted sheepishly. He felt a small hand enclose around his. Ginny held his hand as they watched the other try-outs attempt to catch golf balls and Remembralls that Demelza was throwing as substitutes for the snitch. With each catch, Harry could feel a jolt of nerves run through his body as he feared that he wouldn't be able to accomplish this very simple task. As cheers erupted from the stands, Harry could feel his knees become unable to hold him up. And as mean as it sounds, he couldn't help but smile a little every time someone missed or crashed their broom. Finally it came to him.

'Your turn, Harry. And don't worry,' Ginny smiled as she tied a bag to his broomstick. 'You're the best. And you have a Firebolt: it will be a breeze. Just pretend it was like old times.' _Yes… old times_, Harry repeated in his head. _Being chased by rogue bludgers, dementors, people who wanted to kill me and annoying people who think they can lecture me. How did I do this again?_ But of course, no one could hear him ask.

Harry mounted onto his broomstick and held on as he rose further into the air. He continued to climb higher until he was in eye-level of Demelza. The wind blew, sending cold chills up his spine. Harry could hear Hermione and Ron cheering for him from the stands but he didn't feel any braver. He gulped as he gave Ginny a nod to indicate that he was ready. Ginny blew her whistle, the sound causing Harry's heart to jump and almost fall off his broom.

Demelza grabbed a couple of golf balls from her robe pocket and began throwing them as far and as hard as she could. Harry didn't hesitate and with the slightest touch he turned the Firebolt after the balls that were falling quickly through the sky. He reached out as the balls seemed to slow down and appear to be falling in slow motion. He felt the coldness of the golf ball in his fingertips. He had caught it. But that was just one… there were still others to catch. There wasn't even time to stop and think: he had to just keep flying.

Harry quickly put the ball into the bag that was attached to the Firebolt and sped through the air, catching the golf balls as he went along. After golf balls came the Remembralls and Harry didn't stop once to even think or show off that he had caught it, in fear that he would miss one. It wasn't long until he firmly clamped the last ball in his palm. He had done it. Each and every one was now safely in the, now, slightly heavy bag.

Harry felt the soft grass underneath his feet as he landed back on the ground. He rushed up to Ginny and planted a kiss on her lips. Ginny had to push him away so that she could call up the next few try-outs, but Harry had a very strong feeling that they wouldn't be able to live up to his performance.

And Harry was very right, the last three try-outs either missed one or two Remembralls or, in the last try-out's case, crashed into one of the hoops. Harry bit his bottom lip to stop him from smiling as they took the injured player off the field. Ginny sighed and crossed the boy's name off the bottom of the list. Harry strode up to her, unable to contain what was sure to be joy.

'Well? Did I make the team or what?' Harry smirked, letting the confidence fill him up.

'Uh…' Ginny looked up from her clipboard, 'not quite yet Harry.' Harry felt his heart stop, had someone done better than him? How could they? He didn't miss a single one, proving that he was still in shape even without a year of practicing. 'You're still in the running though,' she added hastily after seeing his crestfallen face. 'You just tied with someone else though.'

'Who?' Harry just had to ask.

'Ahh… I think that would be me,' came a very feminine voice. Harry turned in the direction of the voice to only see a young teen with long raven hair emerge from the rest of the try-outs. Harry had to resist the urge to drop his jaw.

'Um… Harry you will be against…uh… Jamie Parker,' Ginny said mildly.

'So how do we do this?' Jamie asked, putting up her hair in a ponytail. 'How are you going to decide?' Harry looked at Ginny and saw that she really wanted him on the team but she had to be fair.

'I guess… we'll have to use the golden snitch. Um… you there,' she randomly picked a boy from the remaining try-outs that had lost, 'go get Madam Hooch and ask for the--'

'No need,' said Jamie absent-mindedly. 'I got it here,' she reached into her robe pocket and pulled out a golden snitch. Holding it up in front of her, the snitch sprung to life and began eager to get out of her grip.

'How did you get that?' Harry blurted out.

'Dur: nicked it from Hooch. She left the box out and I was bored. It wasn't like I needed the practice,' her hazel eyes looked Harry up and down.

'Err…ok then.' Ginny took the snitch from Jamie's hand and held it up. 'The first one to get the snitch will get the spot on the team. The other will be a reserve,' she addressed the both of them. 'We'll let the snitch have a thirty second head-start.'

'Why not a minute?' Jamie asked smugly.

'Because we could lose it and you guys will be up there forever,' Ginny said coldly. Harry could tell she wasn't fond of this girl, possibly because she was a threat to Harry getting on the team.

Ginny let go of the snitch, allowing it to soar freely in the air. 'Mount your brooms.' Harry and Jamie did what they were told. 'On the count of three you can chase after the snitch and… good luck,' she was aiming this more to Harry than to Jamie.

'One…' Harry bent his legs, preparing to kick hard off the ground

'Two…' In the short period of a second, Harry realised that beads of sweat were already starting to form on his forehead.

'Three!' Ginny blew her whistle hard and Harry used the sudden fright as a kick-off. Harry flew, gaining more and more height as the seconds went by. Harry hovered for a moment whilst Jamie went for a lap around the field in search for the snitch. Harry's strategy was to stay in the centre of the field, in case the snitch was on the other side of the field when he spotted it. It was risky but it had barely failed Harry before. It was also quite good to recollect his thoughts before rushing into things.

Harry observed the pitch from his bird's eye view. He watched as Jamie did a casual pace lap of the field, her ponytail flaring behind her. There was definitely something about her. His mind was beginning to wonder to when he first saw her on the platform, with her…

Harry immediately snapped out his thoughts. He did not want to go back there. His attention turned to Jamie who was coming up to his height and then he saw it. The snitch. It was about equal distance from the both of them. Harry sped off, gaining speed as he became closer. Jamie sped up too, a dangerous fire in her eyes, they were heading straight for each other.

If one of them didn't move out of the way sooner or later then they would collide. But Harry wasn't going to quit now, and clearly Jamie wasn't going to either. They were flying at alarming speeds now, closer and closer they became. Harry could hear people gasp in anticipation as the two became a few feet apart. Harry stretched out his arm, reaching for the snitch. Jamie did the same.

Closer… closer… closer…

It happened so fast, Jamie shot straight up afterwards, taking Harry by surprise. In the short blink of an eye, he had lost sight of the snitch. A great roar erupted somewhere below him and he stopped. Just a few feet above him, Jamie flew around in circles, her arm raised and the golden snitch firmly in her hand.

Harry couldn't believe it.

He had lost.

* * *

**A/N:**_I know that this had NOTHING to do with Harry and his parents and the whole "being alive" situation – but I wanted to show this._

_The next few chapters, I PROMISE will be filled with info and junk. There are still a couple more reactions that I think should be interesting to read and write… hehe._

_I must admit that I was a little sad about the fact hardly anyone reviewed last chapter. But you can still make it up to me!! Review and vote (yes I'm still on about the bloody poll). That is all I ask. A special dedication for the 100__th__ reviewer – and several virtual cookies! So get ready to review!_

_Oh and if anyone would be so kind as to buy me a new computer, please feel free to do so. My computer is seriously annoying, I have to restart it umpteenth times a day coz it keeps freezing, it loses most of my work when that happens so I have to start all over again with chapters and it will no longer let me update photos on myspace or documents on Fanfiction. Solution for that right now is to send all my work to my mum's computer and when she's gone, upload it then. Very annoying in my opinion. _

_In conclusion, I apologise for this short, late chapter that had nothing to do with the main plot line. Blame my computer… for the late part. _

_Infinite X's and O's,  
Creative Touch_

_P.S. Thanks to everyone who was concerned over my health. I'm a-Ok now. : D well… you'd hope so seeing how long it took me to get this chapter out. _


	10. Surprise, Surprise

**Dedication: **_Hmm… who should this go out to? Hmm… I know! Me! Coz it's my birthday today! So everyone shut up and dance!!_

**A/N: **_Again, not a great response last time. But beggars cannot be choosers. Now onto the story!_

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Chapter 10  
**Surprise, Surprise**

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A peaceful morning was interrupted in Godric's Hollow as a string of loud noises erupted from the home of one Mr. and Mrs. Parker. Mrs. Parker was heard screeching at the top of her lungs and a long list of colourful vocabulary was stringing out of her mouth. The neighbours chose to ignore this as it was a regular occurrence at this residence.

'Jason Parker! How many times have I told you not to leave your Quidditch stuff at the top of the stairs!? I could have broken my neck!' Lily yelled from the bottom of the staircase where she had pretty much stumbled down after tripping over her husband's belongings. James came into sight at the top of the stairs, cringing at his wife's high-pitched screams.

'Sorry!' he said, moving his baggage out of harm's way.

'Sorry isn't going to cut it this time,' Lily huffed, getting up from her heap on the floor. 'I could have been seriously hurt. And what if Jamie was home? I swear that you had me under the influence of a love potion when I married you.'

'Oh… I highly doubt that.'

'Oh really now?'

'Well… yeah. For one, I suck at potions, love. I probably would have poisoned you by pure mistake. And second love, you were pregnant when we got married'.

'And I was pregnant because _someone_ ambushed me in the shower when I didn't have my wand. _And_ I was under the influence of a love potion,' she added after an afterthought.

'Sure, sure' James laughed. He came down the stairs and planted a kiss on her forehead. 'You know what? I think I once did try and get you to drink a love potion.'

'Oh I am I finally going to discover why Amy Mills followed you around for two whole days just to "bask in your glory"?' Lily smirked. James couldn't help but smile as the memories flooded back to him. He had stolen some of Remus's love potion he had made in class the previous day and all he needed were his own hairs. The plan was fool-proof, he was going to pour it into Lily's morning pumpkin juice and was finally going to make her his. Unfortunately, the plan was derailed as Amy Mills grabbed Lily's cup as she was quickly leaving to get to her first period class.

Obviously, what happened next resulted in Amy Mills following James around like a love-sick puppy and was constantly saying that all she wanted to do was to "bask in his glory". James was relieved when the potion finally started to wear off in Herbology after two days. That was, until she sent a handful of Bubotuber Pus straight at him.

'I think I still have some of those marks from where that Bubotuber Pus hit me,' James laughed, indicating the area of his neck where the substance had hit him. Lily leaned over and eyed the area of neck.

'There's nothing there drama queen,' she pushed him in the chest in a playful manner.

'Well there's still this mark from last night,' James pulled at his collar and showed a hickey on the other side of his neck.

'And you pulled strands of my hair out,' Lily replied. 'Hardly fair'

'I had to control you somehow,' he shrugged.

'Do you remember that time that you tried to change Sirius's hair purple in class?'

'And he ducked and it hit McGonagall instead?' James sniggered, remembering the outcome.

'Oh my god, the look on McGonagall's face when she saw her own reflection,' Lily giggled at the thought. 'Absolutely priceless. I don't think I've ever saw you that shocked again until I told you I was pregnant with Harry.'

'I remember you're expression that day too …before you set my pants on fire.'

'And can you blame me? You impregnated me during a war of all things'

'You're face looked exactly like Harry's did when I saw him last week.' He had said it more to himself but because Lily stepped away from him, he knew she must have heard him. Instantly, James knew he had spoken out of context again. He buried his teeth deep into his tongue, he knew it hurt but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Silence was left in the wake of James's words. Lily's eyes widen, her breathing became fast and rapid. Hastily, and without warning, Lily withdrew her wand from her pocket and pointed it straight at James.

'What did you say?' she hissed.

'Nothing… forget I said anythi--'

'What did you say?' she repeated, her voice cold and dripping with venom. 'You saw Harry? Even when I, specifically, told you not to?'

'I… I…'

'Don't make me get the Veritaserum,' she hissed through clenched teeth, her eyes turning a torrid green.

'I,' James sighed. She was going to find out anyways. Lily _always _found these things out, might as well have been him that told her the truth. 'Yes, I saw Harry and before you say anything… yes, I did tell him the truth. The whole truth.'

Silence.

'You did _WHAT_!?' Lily screeched. James didn't have time to respond before a series of green jets erupted from the end of her wand and were purposely being aimed at his head. 'You told our son the truth!? What were you thinking!?'

'I wasn't thinking…' James ducked as a china plate came hurdling straight at him.

'Well that was obvious!' she screamed as her shot hit the vase, which instantly exploded into several shatters of broken glass. Lily kept sending out spell after spell, hitting various furniture and ornaments, but never her intended target.

Twenty minutes and several spells later, Lily shot one last spell that immediately bounced off James's protective force field that he was able to create once he reached his wand. The blue jet hit the bookcase which fell over, all ornaments upon its shelves shattering the second the case fell down on top of them. Lily's breathing was harder than before and quiet echoed throughout the room as Lily looked at the destruction she had caused.

'That does it!' Lily threw her hands up in frustration. 'I can't be in the same room as you anymore! I'm going!'

'Where are you going?' James asked, as Lily stormed out of the room. He carefully removed his shield and followed her.

Lily froze at the door, 'I don't know. As far away from you as possible.' Lily slammed the door behind her as James sunk down to the floor to remove a shard of broken glass, that Lily had sent flying his way, from his arm.

**O – o – O**

'Oh c'mon Harry. I know you feel bad but at least eat something,' Ginny pleaded with her boyfriend.

'I don't feel bad,' Harry lied. 'I'm just not hungry.'

'Harry you are a horrible liar,' Ginny sniffed, still holding a plate of sausages that she was trying to get him to eat.

'Ginny's right, you've been in this state all week,' Hermione piped in, watching her friend with great concern and ignoring her own boyfriend's muffled remarks.

'Look, it's nice of you to care but I'm really just not that hungry,' Harry pushed, getting them to drop the subject. Ginny sighed in defeat and put back the plate of sausages on the table before starting on her own. Harry flipped a page of his Transfiguration text book, pretending to look interested in Animagus Transformation but his heart still panged with hurt from the conversation he had with a so-called "Jason Parker" over a week ago.

He never told Ginny and the others. He just couldn't bring himself to recount the events that occurred that day and the others didn't push it after he told them that Jason Parker didn't show up once again. Last weekend had shattered Harry. First he found out that his parents were alive and had been lying to him his whole life, and then he lost his spot on the Quidditch team – all in all, everything pretty much sucked. He wouldn't be surprised if Rita Skeeter knew of all these facts and turned it into an exclusive lie.

Lies. What a funny word that was. Harry had spent most, if not all, of his years at Hogwarts discovering the truth from the moment he was told the truth about whom he was and who his parents were. Parents. Another funny little word. Easily defined as the people who raise and nurture you and love you unconditionally. Those who taught you how to ride a bike, and get all teary on your first day of school. Those that looked after you and you knew would always be there for you. Where was the truth in all that for Harry? There was none.

Tears blurred his vision at the very thought but he held them back to stop anyone asking any questions. His thoughts were shattered the second he heard a pair of heals clacking against the hard floor of the Great Hall. The footsteps were fast as if the person was in a rush. Heads turned as the loud clacking ended as soon as they reached Harry. Harry looked up from his book and turned, only to come face to face with the Headmistress.

'Potter,' Professor McGonagall gasped as if she had just run a marathon. 'I have been looking everywhere for you.'

'Where else would I be Professor?' Harry asked bewildered. 'What's wrong?'

'I…' she looked at Hermione, Ron and Ginny, who were eyeing the Headmistress curiously. 'I need you to follow me Potter. There is something I need to talk to you about.'

'But Professor,' Ginny cut in. 'We have Potions soon and--'

'Then I hope you inform the Professor of where Mr. Potter is,' Professor McGonagall replied peevishly. 'Now if you please Mr. Potter.' She motioned him to follow her. Harry, not wanting to get on McGonagall's bad side, got up from his spot in the Gryffindor table and obediently came. Harry was trying hard to figure out what it was that the Headmistress wanted with him or what she wanted to talk to him about.

Did she found out that he had snuck out last week? Then why would she take him away from preying eyes and ears? Perhaps she wanted to know how he did it and didn't want other students to find out. Whatever it was, Harry could sense an aura of tenseness around her, and she was acting rather peculiar than usual.

She led Harry down the corridor and into an empty classroom. Harry followed the Headmistress inside, not quite knowing what to expect. She told Harry to sit at or on one of the spare desks as she quickly checked the corridors outside before shutting the door. Harry waited for the Professor to say something but she paced around the room.

'Professor, what's going on? What are we doing here?'

'Am I right to say that you saw one Jason Parker last week?' she inquired Harry. Harry's heart stopped beating – she had found out. But how?

'Professor I--'

'Just answer the question,' she said rather calmly.

'Yes but I acted alone, Ginny and the others are not apart of this--' Professor McGonagall cut him off with a wave and shook her head gently.

To Harry's amazement, she actually smiled at this as if it were amusing. 'No, no Harry. I'm not going to punish you.' Harry eyed her curiously, since when did the Professor use his first name?

'Then what am I here for exactly, Professor?'

The Headmistress's smile turned into one of sadness. She turned her back to him so that she was facing the blackboard. 'I needed to talk to you. Reason, if you will,' Professor McGonagall muttered, her voice a lot sweeter and welcoming than usual.

'Um… ok… what did you… um… want to talk about?' Harry asked, clearly confused.

'Well… I don't know how to approach this,' McGonagall said, her voice crackling into something warmer. Harry didn't say anything as she raised a wand to her head and immediately her black bun came down in a waterfall of chestnut brown hair…

* * *

**A/N: **_and yet, here we have another cliffie. Virtual liquorice wand for those who can guess who that brown hair belongs to. _

_Well how was this for a quick update? Most of my assignments are out of the way so I had all this free time to kill on my hands. And I was in such a writing mood that I just sat at my computer and wrote… don't expect it to happen too many times._

_I don't know if I like Lily's reaction. I kept changing it and changing it and this one just seemed to work the best.__ And I kept changing how James would tell Lily – she was gonna find out anyways, might as well have been him that told her. What do you think??_

_Review please. Again, special dedication for the 100__th__ reviewer. But if I don't reach that this time… a dedication to the 93__rd__ reviewer. I just picked a number, okay? And it's my birthday, so review for that case as well._

_So yeah;__ thanks to those who reviewed. Means a lot to me. _

_Infinite X's and O's,  
Creative Touch _


	11. Two Sides to Every Story

**Dedication: **_To _**halestorm 1313**_– my _100_th__ reviewer!! Huzzah! I made it to triple digits!! Thanks to everyone else who voted but especially to _**halestorm** **1313**_ because she made my day by making it 100 reviews. :-) _

**Special Mention: **_the one and only person who got it right AND didn't just say it and change their minds because of the brown hair: _**Mo.Mo.licious. **_Clever thinking_

**A/N: **_I couldn't stress enough over this chapter. It caused a major writer's block… and for now, this will have to do. I'm ever so sorry. It's short but chockfull of info. _

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Chapter 11  
**Two Sides to Every Story**

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The mysterious figure turned around and Harry's emerald eyes connected with a pair of sparkling blue eyes. Her features looked so familiar to Harry but he couldn't recognise the middle-aged woman that stood before him.

"Who are you?" he said loudly. The unknown woman seemed calm, her smile was friendly and genuine, and for some reason it made Harry's heart stop for a moment.

"Still unable to recognise me in this, I see," her mouth twisted into a wry smile. Even her voice sounded somewhat familiar to Harry but still, he could not register where he had seen or heard this woman before. One thing was for sure, Harry did not feel safe with her. She could have been a death eater for all he knew.

Her wand reunited with her head and her hair became darker. Redder, even. It became a rich auburn colour and her eyes… _Oh god… _Harry thought. _No, no, no…_

Lily Potter smiled back at her son, her equally green eyes shining in the light. "Now I don't want to frighten you…"

"No," Harry cut her off, burying his head in his hands. "This is all some big scheme or something. My parents are _dead_," he emphasized on the word. "Whatever you and Jason Parker are pulling, it's not going to work on me." Harry was quick to his feet as he quickly tried to reach the door, only to have her cut across his path.

"Harry I know that it's hard to take in but--"

"How many times do I have to say it?" Harry yelled at her, "My parents are dead! Dead as in died and never coming back. For _seventeen _years, they have been six feet underground…"

"Oh Harry, you don't honestly believe that do you?" she asked. "Not after meeting your father, do you?"

Harry was a bit hesitant before answering, "I've got no choice. I've gone seventeen years without parents, I'm fine without them."

Lily grabbed his arm and held him back. "You don't mean that."

"Of course I mean it," Harry argued, shrugging himself out of her grip.

"Harry, please… let me explain." Harry tried once more to escape her presence but she grabbed hold of his arm again. "Please Harry. What do you have to lose?" He looked at her and could see the pity in her eyes…Merlin, her eyes. All his life he grew up only seeing those eyes behind the glass of a photo frame (or his own reflection) but now…

"Change back," Harry said meekly. "I can't think when you look like that." Lily was a little thrown by his words by obediently obliged. Her waves of long red hair turned back to the lush chestnut brown it was before. "What do you want from me?"

"I want what should have been mine long ago," her hand found its way to Harry's shoulder. "My son."

Harry shrugged her hand off. "_You _left me. You _abandoned _me. For _seventeen years_. What makes you think that I want anything to do with you anymore?"

"Please, Harry. Let me explain," she begged. "If you don't believe me afterwards and you want to forget this whole thing ever happened, then so be it. But could you at least give me a shot?"

Harry let out a frustrated sigh. Should he give her a chance? If she really was his mother, then he could… what could he do? Let her back in his life? Shut her out even with this knowledge? Harry knew he had to; at least, hear what she had to say. He paced around the room a little; debating whether or not he should listen then gave up and sat on one of the empty desks, before finding his voice, "Go on then"

Lily gave him an approving smile and began her story, "The night that you defeated You-Know-Who, your father and I were going out for a little time to ourselves. Being in hiding with a fifteen month baby wasn't exactly peaceful, so your father decided to take me out for the night. I was quite worried about leaving you, especially with the war but someone reassured me…"

_- __Flashback –_

_Two figures stood in the bathroom as they got one of the pair ready for the night. Lily stared at her reflection in the mirror: her usual auburn hair was now a light chestnut brown, her exquisite emerald eyes were replaced with the bluest eyes possible. But everything else about her was still the same, despite her hair and eye colour. _

"_Are you sure this will work?" she asked out to the other figure in the room. "I don't look that much different."_

"_You look like a brand new person, Lils," the figure said, stepping into the light. An equally young woman seemed to glow under the dim light. Her face was similar to the one of the younger woman; in fact they could have been twins minus the hair and eyes. "No one's really going to examine you and just say you're Lily Potter."_

"_I don't know if this is such a good idea," Lily bit her lip. "It looks like I dyed my hair and put on contacts." _

"_Trust me. How do you think I got here tonight? Times are hard and no one is going to recognise you." Lily still looked doubtful, thoughtfully pulling on a strand of hair. "Go on and have some fun for now. We will be alright," the other woman smiled. _

_Lily smiled at her auburn hair __copy "thanks Aunt Lily"…_

_- End Flashback -_

"She was you're aunt?" Harry gaped.

"Yes," Lily smiled to herself knowingly. "Mum's sister, so you're great-aunt. Mum named me after her after they found out she was barren. She couldn't have any kids, Harry and she wanted kids so much. We developed a close bond. Closer than I ever got with my own mother. In fact, she was the one who took into pride about me being a witch. Mum and dad were always there, but she always wanted to know how school was, and what the wizarding world was like… she even took me to Diagon Alley every year to get my supplies.

"It was in Diagon Alley that she met her fiancé, James Richardson. Pure coincidence that his first name was also James. Met him during my last year and they were engaged just after you were born, Harry. But with the war, they never quite got around to their wedding and with Aunt Lily being a muggle; well… you can imagine what they were going through"

"And they were the ones who died?"

"Unfortunately," Lily sighed. "If there were some things I could take back, leaving her with you that night would have been one of them." She looked helplessly at her son, "I'm not proud of what I did, Harry."

Harry closed his eyes for a moment, taking it all in. His eyes snapped open with realisation, "What about the blood? The protection of love? The thing that saved me that night?"

"Aunt Lily would have done anything for you, Harry" Lily explained. "She was more of a mother figure than my mother ever dreamed of. Petunia did always take after mum. But when you were born… it was just another reminder of something she couldn't have." She sat down next to Harry, "she loved you as much as I loved you. She always thought of you as if you were her own and she could never see you as anything but."

"But you didn't love me," Harry responded. "If you did, you wouldn't have abandoned me."

Tears were welling in Lily's fake blue eyes, "It was the hardest thing I ever had to do." She exhaled a breath, "do you think I wanted to leave you?"

"Then why did you?"

"We knew You-Know-Who was still around," she said. "We didn't find his remains when we came back to the house. We knew we had to protect you and the only way we could do that is let you have the blood protection."

Harry cut in, "but _we _have the same blood. Surely the wards would have worked for you and dad too."

Lily nodded sadly, "Dumbledore put the wards on Petunia's house before we could do anything. I wanted to take you but I wanted to protect you. It was our only choice."

Harry inhaled a sharp breath, "why now then? Why did you come back now? And not all those times when I need you guys?"

"I don't know," she whispered, bowing her head in shame, "Maybe because you were too young to understand what we did."

Harry went silent. So everything was a lie. Everything he ever grew up knowing was a lie. Every little detail was false and his life seemed so different now than it was when he first walked into the classroom.

What should he do? Were these people telling the truth? How did he know that this wasn't some sort of ploy? But they did manage to give reasons and did know things that only a selective few would know – and none of those selective people would try and pull this sort of prank on him. There was only one explanation:

These were his _parents_. And they had lied to him. His whole life. What was he suppose to think? What was he suppose to say to them? What was going to happen?

Would they rejoice over their reunion? Could they? Did he even want that? He would have given anything for this moment long ago, but now he didn't know what he wanted. They had abandoned him and he had waited seventeen years for this… What was he suppose to do now?

"Harry," she took his hand in hers, "please say something."

Harry inhaled a breath, preparing to speak but the voice that Lily heard was not his.

"Mum?"

Both Lily and Harry spun in the direction of the voice. To their horror, Jamie stood at the door, her mouth hanging open.

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**A/N:**_ So we have come to the end of another chapter, and yet another cliffie. _

_What I am truly amazed at was how everyone guessed at the end of last chapter. As you have read, it was Lily impersonating Prof. McGonagall – and yes she has brown hair in her new appearance. __The majority of people didn't seem to get that – or if they did, they guessed Lily but then said "no" because it was a brunette. And to my utter horror was that people guess that it was Hermione – even though I said that Hermione was at the breakfast table when "Prof. McGonagall" arrived. Oh well… seems that I can make you think and trick you easily. _

_But thus, you have it. The truth on how they returned and all those little things that would make sense if this is DH compatible. If you have any inquiries, just ask away – in a review. __C'mon people, let's see if we can get on our way to 200. This being my most successful story, I would like to see it get that far, at least. Oh and anonymous reviews are now available!_

_I hope I __didn't confuse anyone!!_

_Ahh… update will be… in a few weeks. I know it's taken me 2 (almost 3!) months to get _this _chapter out, but I have a good reason. Okay that's a lie, but I did however do my exams… err… long ago. BUT you can clearly tell how important this chapter is so it was written in the utmost care. It could have been worse: I could have come out with a filler instead but I didn't. Be thankful for that. _

_Infinite __X's and O's,  
Creative Touch_

_X__xx_


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